


Beautifully Blue

by langst5ever



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Bad Puns, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), F/F, F/M, Gay Keith (Voltron), Gender-Neutral Pronouns for Pidge | Katie Holt, Happy Ending, M/M, Memes, Minor Angst, Minor Triggers, Minor Violence, Oblivious, Pansexual Shiro, Slow Burn, Trans Lance (Voltron), bad language, really little transphobia, so much gay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-28
Updated: 2017-09-08
Packaged: 2018-11-20 13:43:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 76,182
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11336706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/langst5ever/pseuds/langst5ever
Summary: College is said to be the most important years of your life. The Voltron squad™ will learn it the hard way. Just kidding, there will be love, oblivious gay boys and what could be better than a flower shop romance to top that?_In other words, a very fluffy and cute college AU for when you want to hide away from all the angst!





	1. Pilot

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first try at writing a story on here; also my first story about Voltron!  
> I'm not a native English nor a native Spanish speaker, so if I make mistakes PLEASE message me about it or leave a comment!  
> Enjoy!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DISCLAIMER : I do not own Voltron or any other thing mentioned in this story! If there is anything wrong about this fanfic, message me about it!
> 
> I often make references to stuff I've seen on the Internet and I am influenced by what I see on social medias, please leave a comment if I accidentally reproduced anything from your or someone's work! 
> 
> Enjoy this first chapter!

College sucked, Lance decided. College could suck his dick for all he cared. He was cursing himself for taking a double major as he sipped on his fifth cup of coffee of the night. Foolish younger himself thought it'd be great to save two years of his life in school and do the two majors he dreamed of at the same time. Foolish younger himself clearly didn’t have four essays, two assignments and three projects due next week. Lance wished he could time-travel to tell 17-years-old Lance that saving time with a double major implicated selling his soul to Satan and sacrificing all of his nights to schoolwork — even Friday nights.

Hunk was peacefully asleep beside him, loose sheets full of calculations and graphics splayed all around him on the floor. They were sitting against the only couch in the living room of their small apartment on campus, their backs pressed on the cushions. Snack packaging and empty cups of coffee were accumulating around them and on the small table in front of them, showing Lance that they’ve been there for a long time. He envied his sleeping best friend for a moment before remembering that he needed to finish this assignment before 8AM or else he was doomed. He grabbed his phone quickly, eyes squinting at the sudden light as he read the time. He still had 4 hours left to work before he had to head to class.

The dark-skinned boy looked at the TV in front of him, turning the volume up to watch whatever was going on in the telenovela that was playing. He put his papers beside him, bending his knees against his chest, wrapping his arms around his legs and leaning his chin on them, eyes locked on the big screen. His eyelids got heavier and his eyes slowly unfocused as the minutes passed by before he decided to turn off the TV. He didn't need another distraction.

Lance rubbed his eyes with the palm of his hands, yawning shamelessly. A half-assed snore brought his attention behind him. He turned his head to look at the couch, the muscles of his neck aching after being in the same position for hours. His eyes took two long seconds to focus on the mop of brown hair splayed on the cushion of the couch before he acknowledged that Matt had fallen asleep too.

''Oh man, buddy, you were my last hope!'' Lance whined, huffing unhappily.

He looked at Matt's laptop, screen displaying various documents and notes as well as at least two unfinished essays. Matt clearly had failed to resist at the temptation and had fallen asleep just like Hunk.

''Good night, Matty.'' Lance whispered, closing his laptop without turning it off. Matt would kill him if he lost all his data and work. Lance took a last look at Matt before going back to his unfinished assignment. ''Guess now it's just you and me.''

He looked at the half-filled piece of paper, then at all the blank ones, still unanswered. With a deep sigh he grabbed his pen and turned his brain on once again. God did he need a break.

 

* * *

 

 

Hunk was sitting on his bed, various textbooks and loose sheets of papers carefully placed around him. He had dark circles under his eyes from his attempt at staying up all night to study Physics but his rushed morning study session showed how he failed at staying up all night. The fact that his best friend was dealing with another heartbreak didn’t help him at all.

''And she said no! Can you believe that, Hunk?'' Lance cried out loud from where he was laying on the floor.

''Lance, you're moping again,'' Hunk said half-heartedly, looking at his best friend from his bed.

He took out one earbud, replacing a strand of curly hair behind his ear.

''What happened?'' He asked.

''Went to see Jessica. Did my best to impress her. She laughed and called me an, and I quote, 'incompetent fuckboy with 2012 Justin Bieber hair','' Lance wailed, locking his long fingers in his hair. ''I don't have 2012 Justin Bieber hair!''

''Of course you don't. Your hair is beautiful, Lance,'' Hunk said truthfully.

He crossed his legs under him, perfecting the neat piles of loose sheets in front of him.

Lance whined loudly, ''It's unfair. It's the third time this semester.''

''That a girl rejected you?'' Hunk frowned, grabbing one of his books to study Physics, still hoping he could force a few formulas into his brain.

''That this girl rejected me,'' Lance flounced on the bed dramatically.

Hunk watched as Lance messed up all his arrangement of notes, taking a deep breath.

''Lance, please, stop moping around. I need to study and you're ruining all my preparation for the Physics exam!''

Lance looked at him sadly, eyes wide and teary. He nodded his head, apologizing quietly. Hunk's shoulders relaxed. Lance might be slightly annoying and childish, he was still a good guy and didn't deserve the hard time people were giving him.

''She doesn't know what she's missing,'' he tried, smiling encouragingly.

Lance scoffed. ''She's missing nothing, Hunk,'' he sat on the bed correctly, trying to replace what he's messed up. ''Should've stopped after the first rejection. Now I just embarrassed myself in front of everyone.''

''It's okay, Lance!'' Hunk pulled Lance by the arm and hugged him tightly. ''You're just chasing after your dreams! Few people can do that,'' Lance shrugged, cuddling on his best friend's soft chest. ''And if people think differently of you because of that, screw them. We still love you, Matt and me.''

''Hunk, you're the best best friend I could ever dream of,'' Lance looked at the big guy with a smile. ''Thank you.''

Hunk tightened his hug, making Lance giggle and hug back.

''About Matt… where is he?'' Lance asked.

''He had to help his sibling to move in, he said,'' Hunk shrugged.

''In the middle of the semester? What the fuck?''

''I don't know, you're not asking the right person,'' the taller guy laughed as Lance got off the bed, stretching his back lazily. ''Now go take a walk or something, I need to study,'' Hunk jokingly pushed Lance out of his room. ''And as much as I love your company, we never achieve anything great together.''

Lance let himself get pushed out of the room, rolling his eyes nonetheless.

''Pfff, have you forgotten about the Mac n Cheese incident?''

''I was specifically thinking about the Mac n Cheese incident, you moron. It's an incident for a reason, Lance,'' Hunk laughed, shaking his head.

Lance opened the front door, laughing as well.

''Alright, big boy! I'm leaving your sorry ass alone. See ya!'' Lance smiled and saluted his best friend before leaving the apartment way happier than when he entered it.

 

* * *

 

 

Pidge took a deep breath, their hand grasping the shoulder strap of their bag tighter. They were nervous. It was the first time they actually had an apartment on campus, with roommates and everything. Pidge wasn't great with first impressions — neither was their brother, they recall. They replaced their hair nervously, playing with a longer lock for a second before putting their hand back on their bag. With their other hand, they knocked on the wooden door in front of them.

After two weak knocks, the door opened. Two people were looking at them, first with a blasé face, and then with kind smiles. Saying they were taller than Pidge was a euphemism. They were towering Pidge. Of at least ten inches. They lifted their head to stare at the man and the woman before them without knowing what to say or what to do. They looked so much older than them.

''You must be Pidge!'' the woman said with a thick British accent, her smile getting wider. ''You're early; we didn't expect you before noon.''

Pidge shrugged, embarrassed. They didn't realized 7AM was early for people who actually sleep.

''Didn't know I had a specific time to come by… I can come back later. Tell my brother to bring my stuff after noon,'' they trailed off their sentence, looking at their feet and back at them.

''It's no problem!'' the man exclaimed quickly, noticing their embarrassment. ''It's just that Keith isn't awake yet. I'm Takashi, but you can call me Shiro.''

He opened the door wider so Pidge could get in, which they did so they didn't have to talk to their new roommates. _That couldn't get more awkward than that_ , they tried to reassure themselves a bit.

''I'm Allura, we're so glad that you came to live with us!'' the woman took Pidge's bag from her shoulder gently.

Pidge stared at them for a few seconds, their brown eyes slightly confused.

''Is your hair naturally white or do you two did it on purpose to match?'' They blurted out.

Both Allura and Shiro looked stunned, then they all heard a laugh from another room. _I was wrong_ , Pidge thought, sighing audibly.

''It's purely coincidental!'' Allura said, blushing a bit. ''My hair has always been pale and Shiro's white floof is due to stress.''

Pidge blushed too.

''Sorry for asking, none of my business,'' they said, their voice small.

''It's fine, Pidge,'' Shiro smiled softly. ''Trust me, you're not the first one to ask,'' he tried to make them feel better by changing the subject. ''Let me show you around.''

He grabbed Pidge's bag from Allura's hands as another guy entered the living room, wearing only loose joggings.

''Uh… hey,'' He looked awkwardly at Pidge, then at his chest. He cleared his throat before speaking again. ''Hi Pidge, glad to meet you. I'm Keith.''

''You too, Keith,'' Pidge smiled at Keith's awkwardness. They had feared that they had to deal with only extroverts when they met Allura and Shiro, but Keith looked as introverted as them.

Pidge then proceeded to follow Shiro as he showed them around the apartment, not before telling Keith to go ''dress the fuck up, Pidge doesn't need a show this early on the morning''. Pidge snickered at that and Keith left to his room quickly.

Maybe it wouldn't be that bad after all.

 

* * *

 

 

Allura was talking with Pidge about school and formalities when someone knocked on the front door. Keith — who was now wearing a shirt — stood up to go open the door, but Shiro went first. Once the door open, he looked down at a short brown-haired guy, who had two huge bags in his hands and one more at his feet.

''It would be nice to have some help,'' the guy muttered.

Shiro only stared at him.

''That's my gay excuse of a brother, Shiro,'' Pidge said from behind him, then they looked at the poor guy. ''Took you long enough, we're only at the second floor!''

''Elevator's broken, and so is my back, Pidgetto,'' the brunet bit back at his sibling, annoyance clear on his face.

He threw the bags in Shiro's arms, muttering something about being a slave under his breath.

''Oh,'' Shiro responded, grabbing the two bags effortlessly, as if they were empty and not containing sixty pounds of electronic material.

''The name's Matt, by the way,'' Pidge's brother called out, taking the last bag in his arms and following Shiro, his eyes trailing down his back shamelessly.

Once the bags were all in Pidge's room, Matt pushed his glasses back on his nose, looking around. There were two other people in the door frame, staring at him curiously.

''Looks a lot like our apartment, except there's one more room,'' he commented.

''And it's definitely cleaner,'' Pidge added, earning a shove from their brother.

Matt blew a raspberry at them, then his eyes locked on Shiro.

''Well, hello _you_ ,'' he wiggled his eyebrows jokingly, laughing when Shiro blurted out a quick ''Hi'', cheeks turning pink.

''Matt,'' Pidge groaned. ''Not again.''

Allura looked at the two siblings with curious eyes, her Blackmail Radar™ beeping in her head. She wanted to ask ''Why again'' but Pidge continued. They presented their brother to their roommates officially, Matt shaking hands with Keith, Allura and then Shiro.

''Wait. Is that a prosthetic?'' Matt suddenly asked, looking at Shiro's right hand in his own.

Everyone in the room tensed as Matt grabbed Shiro's plastic arm, looking at it with fascinated eyes. Shiro froze, staring at Matt with wide eyes.

''Dude-'' Keith started, only to be cut off by Matt.

''What happened?'' the brown-haired guy asked. ''To your arm?''

Shiro pulled his arm out of Matt's grip, holding his right wrist with his left hand. Matt seemed to get the message and backed stepped back. He blushed, embarrassed, then looked guiltily at Pidge.

''Was that too much?'' he asked.

Pidge nodded their head. They didn't look mad, which reassured Matt a little.

''Well, uh, Pidge, you can call me if you need me,'' He put his hands in his jeans pocket, looking at everyone but Shiro. ''Sorry Shiro, I didn't mean to… to… '' he didn't find the right words, so he just gave up. ''Anyway, I should go.''

With that he left the apartment quietly, leaving a tensed atmosphere behind him. Pidge took a deep breath.

''Sorry about that, Shiro, he… he's really outgoing with people and loves bio-mechanics.''

''He nearly grabbed Shiro's arm off!'' Keith exclaimed, clearly pissed off. ''No normal person does that!''

''Keith, stop it,'' Shiro sighed, ''he meant no harm, he was just… curious. It happened before, you know it.''

That didn't seem to help Keith to calm down, it even angered him more.

''Yeah, it happened with children!''

''Cut it off, Keith,'' Allura shouted. ''It's Shiro's arm that Matt grabbed, not yours. Now calm down, he's an adult, he can deal with this alone.''

She put emphasis to the word ''alone'' just to make herself clear.

''Fine,'' Keith crossed his arms on his chest, looking away with a frown.

There was an awkward silence before Shiro cleared his throat.

''Uh… Pidge,'' he said softly, trying to relax the ambience. ''Your brother comes to this college too?''

''Yeah he does, and he lives in this building too. The fact that he's a genius student helped me to get in here,'' Pidge smiled lightly. ''He… he's a great guy.''

''No doubt in that!'' Allura smiled, putting her hands on Pidge's shoulders. ''Do you want me to show you around the campus? What major are you in?''

''Uh…'' Pidge scratched their nose, forgetting for a moment all information about them. ''Computer programming, even though I also wanted to create robots and stuff like that, but I already do that in my free time.''

''Computer programming?'' Shiro asked, trying to get invested in the conversation.

''Well, I always had fun hacking things, thought it'd be great doing it legally as well.'' Pidge shrugged, making Allura giggle.

''Well, Shiro and Keith here are also into computer stuff!'' She exclaimed. Her face lit up as if she had the greatest idea of all. ''Keith!''

Keith looked at her with bored eyes.

''You should show Pidge around campus, you're probably having classes in the same building!''

Keith went to protest, but he hesitated, looking at Pidge's hopeful eyes, then at Allura's huge smile.

''C'mon, lil bro, get out a little and be a good roommate.'' Shiro smiled, but he also did his Big Brother Eyes™ at Keith. ''For once.''

''Hey, I'm a good roommate, okay? I do my laundry and sometimes I also do yours, Shiro.'' Keith retorted. ''C'mon Pidge. You gotta see the computer lab.''

The two younger students left the apartment, chatting about classes they could have together. Shiro and Allura smiled at each other with knowing eyes.

 

* * *

 

 

''Okay, so that's it for the computer section, you have graphics on third floor for animation and 3D design, but I don't think you'll go there,'' Keith pointed vaguely around them, Pidge taking as many mental notes as possible. ''Now… I showed you…''

Keith took a few seconds to do a mental list of places he showed them and places he needed to show them.

''We should go to the library, then the main building. It's in the middle.'' He tied his hair in a small ponytail before heading out of the Tech building.

''It would be useful to know where's the food court too,'' Pidge added.

Keith nodded his head sharply.

''Of course.''

They walked on the sidewalk, the silence comfortable between them. Pidge was busy memorizing the surroundings as Keith was observing people around them; few guys were playing Frisbee on the grass, tables were full of different people studying, playing cards or chilling. Some people were doing art, painting, drawing, photographing.

Keith watched as a tall guy wearing aviator sunglasses walked towards them before forcefully running into a giant wooden pole face first. The poor guy fell on his ass, completely stunned. Pidge started laughing out loud, nearly dropping their phone on the ground. Someone ran to the guy as the two passed by, Pidge laughing shamelessly and Keith trying to hide his laughter to show some respect to the shocked dude.

''Holy shit, that boy sure got a morning wood.'' Keith deadpanned, making Pidge laugh even louder, wiping tears that threatened to fall down their cheeks.

They had to grip Keith's arm so they didn't fall down the pavement. Keith grinned widely, glad to see that his humor didn't only make his brother laugh. They headed to the library, Pidge still trying to catch their breath.

''Well, fuck, that was hilarious,'' they smiled at Keith. ''And your comment killed me, jeez.''

''That doesn't happen every day that an idiot runs into a very obvious ten feet high pole,'' Keith sassed a bit. ''Anyways, here's the library. Fourth floor is the quietest, mostly because people go to the first and second.''

''Why?'' Pidge asked curiously. ''What's on the first and second floor?''

Keith looked at their surroundings for a second before answering.

''Nothing. People are lazy as fuck so they fill up the first floor, then go to the second and then they give up,'' he shrugged slightly, replacing a strand of hair that escaped his ponytail behind his ear. Pidge scoffed at his words. ''So third and fourth floor are for people that want peace and silence.''

''Noted,'' Pidge grinned.

Keith nodded his head, processing in his head the next step of the 'tour' he was giving Pidge.

''Wanna see the food court?'' Pidge's eyes lit up at the mention of food, so he guessed that was a yes.

He showed them the quickest way to go to the food court, taking smaller path instead of the large main one. Once they were in, Pidge realized the food court was a lot like the food courts in shopping centers; dozens of small stands serving every sort of food imaginable and tables at the first and second floor.

''That's awesome!'' Pidge pulled Keith by the arm to see the stands closer. ''I haven't had breakfast, does it bother you if I grab something?''

''Actually, I haven't either, so I'll take something too,'' Keith got out his wallet, going to one of the few breakfast stands.

''I know the best place that sells pancakes, wanna try?''

''Of course I want to!'' Pidge couldn't stop smiling. ''Show me the way.''

They bought two plates of pancakes, one with strawberries and whipped cream (two of Keith's few weaknesses) and one with chocolate and raspberries for Pidge. They sat at an empty table, Pidge immediately starting to eat their pancakes.

''So… why moving in in the middle of the semester?'' Keith asked while cutting his pancake.

''Got kicked out of my other school, even if my grades were top notch.'' Pidge talked with their mouth full.

''What did you do?'' Keith raised his eyebrows curiously.

Pidge's smile scared him a little, they looked mischievous.

''I hacked their system and they found out it was me that was changing the school's slogan every night for something really inappropriate,'' they giggled. ''I fucking hated this school.''

''How did you get in here if you got kicked out? Don't they check your school record or something before admitting you here?'' Keith remembered getting in trouble for having once stolen a pack of chewing gum on campus.

''Yeah, but I hacked my profile and erased that tragic incident.'' Keith stared at them in awe.

''Holy fuck,'' he said softly.

''You can never win against me. Except at Uno. I fucking suck at Uno,'' Pidge said before taking another bite of their pancakes. ''Anyway, this is already better than my other McFucking school: there's a food court and I have already found my partner in crime.''

Keith frowned, looking around them.

''It's you, jackass,'' Pidge giggled.

Keith smiled at them, not responding anything because there wasn't anything else to say. Instead they ate in silence, then completed to tour by going back at the apartment and watching conspiracy theories together.

 

* * *

 

 

Hunk and Lance were cooking dinner when Matt entered the apartment. The shorter boy dropped his bag on the floor, joining his roommates in the kitchen. Lance was wearing his ‘Kiss the cook’ apron and dancing to some hit song whilst Hunk made sure nothing burned.

''What's for dinner?'' Matt asked, sitting on the counter lazily.

''Fine spiraled pastas in chicken broth accompanied with sweet vegetables and scrambled eggs,'' Lance spoke with a suave tone.

Matt snorted.

''Ramen it is?''

''Ramen it is,'' Hunk sighed. ''Hashtag college life.''

Lance went back at putting the cups of ramen noodles in the microwave, humming to the song that was playing.

''You know what, guys?'' Matt said after a while.

The two other guys looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

''We should have one night per week to ourselves. Just the three of us, doing something fun,'' he hopped down the counter. ''To release stress and treat ourselves.''

Hunk raised his eyebrows as Lance looked confused.

''Are you asking for a threesome because that's not clear,'' the Cuban boy stared at Matt, Hunk coughing awkwardly.

''What? No!'' Matt exclaimed. ''I was talking about a game night or something like that, you fucking pervert!''

Lance laughed loudly as Hunk muttered a small ''Language'', a blush creeping on his neck.

Matt slapped Lance behind the head.

''You're impossible,'' he groaned. ''But what do you think of my actual idea?''

''I think it's great!'' Hunk smiled. ''That'll help us relax a bit, and it's only one night a week.''

''Yeah, I'm in!'' Lance got the three cups of ramen out of the microwave. ''We need to chill out and have some bro time together.''

Matt wrinkled his nose.

''Now that sounds downright wrong,'' he said, making Lance laugh again. ''But, great! We can shotgun Friday nights?''

Lance lost his smile.

''Can't. I work Friday nights,'' he pouted. ''What about Wednesday nights? I know Hunk doesn't work Wednesdays and neither do I!''

''Wednesday sounds great to me,'' Matt smiled, grabbing a cup from Lance's hands and giving it to Hunk.

''Awesome!'' Lance threw a fist in the air, nearly dropping the two cups he was holding.

Hunk mixed the scrambled eggs with the ramen, then served the cups to his two friends. They all took a fork and sat down at their small table, old chairs creaking.

''Can I say grace?'' Lance asked.

''Lance you're not even religious and neither me nor Hunk is Christian,'' Matt retorted.

''Hush,'' Hunk shut him up, then took Lance and Matt's hands in his. ''Go ahead, Lance.''

Lance cleared his throat seriously.

''Bless us O Lord, and these Thy gifts, which we are about to receive, from Thy bounty, through Christ our Lord. RAmen.''

Lance immediately started slurping on his noodles, being as noisy and annoying as possible until Matt kicked him under the table.

''What the fuck Lance? Really? All this for a fucking pun?'' Matt roared, making Lance shriek and kick back forcefully.

''How did it go with your sibling?'' Hunk asked Matt, hoping to end the competition of shin kicking between Matt and Lance.

''Oh,'' Matt looked at Hunk, just as Lance threw his victory kick against his bony leg. ''That hurt, motherfucker!'' he spat, making Lance giggle an apology. ''Well, it went great, I guess? I only helped them with their bags.''

Both Hunk and Lance noticed that Matt suddenly seemed a bit off.

''Did something happen?'' Hunk asked softly.

''Let just say I didn't make the best first impression with their roommates,'' Matt shrugged.

Lance shared a look with his best friend, knowing that Matt wouldn't say more about it.

''Well, if it can make you feel better,'' Lance spoke reassuringly, ''first impressions aren't that important. Remember our first impression?''

Matt smiled a bit.

''I found you drunk in a public bathroom, throwing up your guts while Hunk was crying in one of the stalls,'' he chuckled lightly.

''A memorable night,'' Hunk whispered.

''That is, we're best friends now! And roommates, and we share everything together, even toothbrushes, Holt. See: first impressions don't count that much,'' Lance smiled widely. ''And it's only your sibling's roommates, I mean, it's not your boss or the Queen.''

Matt sighed, dropping his fork in his cup.

''But one of the guys was cute.''

''Oh my God, why didn't you tell me before? That changes everything!'' Lance exclaimed. ''The guy was cute! Now I know why you're so bothered with that!''

Matt groaned, hiding his face with his hands.

''Lance,'' Hunk stared at his best friend with his Shut the Fuck Up™ eyes. ''Now, I'm sure you make it worse than it really is,'' he put a hand on Matt's shoulder firmly. ''Like Lance said, first impressions leave an idea of who you are in people's mind, but you can easily change that idea when you meet them again.''

Matt nodded his head, dropping his hands on the table.

''When could we meet your sibling? What's their name again?'' Lance said enthusiastically.

''Pidge… and I don't know? They just got in, so they must be as busy as us.''

''Alright! But we got to meet them at some point,'' Lance smiled, then got back at eating his ~fancy~ ramen.

The three of them ate in silence, except for Lance's never-ending slurping. After the three cups were empty and thrown in the garbage can, Matt turned to face Lance with squinting eyes.

''Lance…''

Lance frowned at his weird behavior.

''M'yeah, that's me?'' he raised a thin eyebrow as to show his skepticism.

''What the fuck happened to your face?''


	2. Purple

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ''Welcome to Voltron Academy, Katie Holt.''

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished this chapter earlier than planned, so why keep you away from reading it?
> 
> Hope you'll enjoy!

_''What happened to your face?''_

Lance frowned, touching his face with the tip of his fingers in concern.

''My face's fine, thanks,'' he retorted.

Matt turned to look at Hunk, who was smirking knowingly.

''What happened to his face?'' Matt asked him instead, knowing Hunk never loses an opportunity

''Don't you dare—'' Lance started, pointing a menacing finger in Hunk's direction but Hunk was already talking.

''He ran into a pole on campus and nearly knocked himself down.'' Hunk spoke rapidly. ''He came back here with the help of a random girl and he was so confused I thought he had a commotion. Turns out he's just stupid.''

Matt burst out laughing as Lance's face turned red, muttering '' _Comepinga_ '' under his breath.

''I was distracted, okay? I didn't see the pole.''

''Whatever helps you sleep at night,'' Matt snorted. ''How can you not see a fucking pole?''

Lance crossed his arms angrily.

''Like I said, I was distracted. Now leave me alone. It really hurt,'' he glared at Hunk. ''Buddy, you lost friendship points with that.''

He left the kitchen and headed to his room, Hunk complaining about his friendship points as Matt laughed so loudly Lance was still hearing him through the walls.

 

* * *

 

 

''Good morning, Pidge!'' Allura sing-sang loudly, knocking on Pidge's door twice. ''It's your first day of class, I suggest you to arrive on time!''

As soon as she finished talking, the door opened on a disheveled and still half asleep Pidge.

''What time's it?'' they slurred out, eyes unfocused.

''It's 7:20AM,'' Allura smiled, guiding them to the kitchen.

There was a few seconds in which Pidge processed the information.

''And when do classes start?'' Pidge mumbled before sitting at the table.

''At 8AM,'' Allura sat on the chair opposed to them. ''I know you didn't have time to go grocery shopping so you can eat those cereals or go grab something at the food court. You know where it is, right?''

Pidge nodded their head.

''Thanks, Allura.''

''No problem!'' the dark-skinned woman grabbed her phone and her purse from the table, standing up. ''I'm working this afternoon and Shiro got a call this morning to do the night shift so we won't be home until late. I hope you don't mind being alone for a while!''

Pidge smiled at her reassuringly. Allura was definitely a Mom Friend™ and they appreciated her caring. They weren't really good at taking care of themselves, so having people like Allura around them was useful.

''It's fine. But what about Keith?''

Allura sighed, rolling her eyes dramatically.

''Won't be here either,'' she answered. ''He disappears and comes back home at 10PM every night. We don't know where he's going or what's he doing and honestly, I couldn't care less. He probably studies at the library. You could go see if his hermit ass is hidden behind a bookshelf or something.''

She looked at the time on her phone, then at Pidge.

''Speaking of Keith,'' she put her phone in her purse, ''I'm leaving soon and he's still not up. He has class at 8AM too.''

''Do you mother every one like that?'' Pidge asked with a small smile.

''Only people I care about,'' Allura admitted. ''And before you ask, I care about you too, Pidge. You're my roommate and you'll soon learn how hellish it is to live with us.''

She was smiling kindly so it didn't scare Pidge as much as it should do.

''Now I'm going to go wake Keith up,'' she left the room with a sharp turn on her heels.

Pidge heard the same two knocks they heard a few minutes earlier, but Allura was a lot less gentle with her words.

''Now Keith if you aren't dressed and ready in the kitchen in five minutes, I'm coming in and get you up myself,'' she warned loudly, her tone showing that she wasn't kidding.

She came back in the kitchen, grabbed herself a cup of coffee and sat on the chair in front of Pidge. Two minutes later, Keith arrived in the kitchen, hair sticking up in every direction, wearing mismatched socks and breathing heavily as if he had rushed to get ready. Pidge noticed he still had drool marks on his cheeks but they said nothing.

''Great,'' Allura clapped her hands once. ''Now that everyone's awake, I can go. Goodbye, guys! Have a nice day and, Keith, don't do something I wouldn't!'

She walked out of the room, her white hair bouncing lightly with every step she made. A few seconds after, Keith and Pidge heard the front door close with a small thud.

''Nice hair,'' Pidge commented, smirking jokingly.

''Thanks, you too,'' Keith snapped back with no venom. ''You never got woken up by Allura. You don't know that fear.''

''What does she do?'' Pidge asked curiously. ''She can't be that bad, she looks sweet.''

''She is, until you get in her way. Then she becomes Mama Bear,'' Keith's voice was low, as if he was scared Allura heard him through the walls. ''She'll drag you out of your bed by your ear and put you in the coldest shower you've ever been in still clothed.''

''Something tells me you've got a taste of it yourself,'' Pidge grinned, grabbing an apple on the table and taking a bite.

Keith shivered dramatically.

''It's the worst. Shiro and I got the treatment more than once.''

''Thanks for warning me, I'll make sure to wake up before you every day,'' they stood up. ''I gotta go, I don't know where my class is, so…''

''Sure,'' Keith nodded his head. ''See you tonight.''

Pidge grabbed their bag, making sure their laptop was in it, then waved goodbye to Keith. They left the apartment, feeling more nervous than they should be.

They found their class easily, following the vague instructions on the walls. They sat at one of the only empty places, beside a guy who was so tall and large he made Pidge feel like a gnome. The guy was wearing a bandana headband and the only thing Pidge thought when he turned to look at them was _Oh God he's gonna karate-chop me into another dimension._

''Hi, I'm Hunk!'' the guy said with a warm smile, his voice low and soft.

''Oh, hi,'' they replied, their eyes wide. ''I'm—''

The teacher entered in the room loudly, banging the door on his way in. Every student in the room stopped talking. The teacher — Mr. Iverson, if Pidge remembers correctly — stared at everyone in the class with his only eye. When his eye landed on Pidge, he squinted at them, as if to remember them they were tiny.

''Holt?'' he said way too loudly. ''Katie Holt?''

''Y-yeah,'' Pidge's eyes went even wider behind their glasses.

They side-glanced the people around them, finding out that they all had the same terrified look on their faces.

''Welcome to my class, Katie,'' Iverson spoke with disgust, making clear that Pidge's sudden presence in his class was unwanted. ''I hope that you enjoyed your school break, you know, the one after you got expelled from the Galra Institution.''

Pidge blanked as Iverson strode towards their desk.

''I take no losers, no quitters, no fakers and no lazy ass students in my class. Do I make myself clear?'' he practically shouted in Pidge's face.

There was a fake, loud laugh from behind Iverson. The tall man's left eye ticked a few times before he turned around to face a lanky student standing in the front of the class.

''Dude, calm down. It's an English class, in a public school,'' the boy scoffed, replacing his hair absentmindedly. ''Not that weird old military school you used to work at. Leave the kid alone.''

Iverson shot a deadly glare at the boy, boiling with rage.

''McClain,'' he spat, ''know that the Garrison was this country's most valuable military academy.''

''Aaaaand it's closed now,'' the boy retorted, a knowing smile on his face.

He sat at the desk beside Hunk, slurping on his smoothie noisily. Iverson looked like he considered the boy's death for a second before going back to Pidge.

''Anyway,'' he spoke, his voice full of venom. ''Welcome to Voltron Academy, Katie Holt.''

 

* * *

 

 

 After an hour and a half, Pidge got out of the class exhausted and mildly terrified. They never encountered a teacher as intimidating as Iverson. They wondered if the boy from earlier —McClain — was still alive. _This kid got balls, Iverson is nearly seven feet high and weighs at least thrice as much as that lanky boy_ , they thought, impressed _._ Pidge was walking down the hallway when they heard someone call them.

''Hey! Katie! Katie Holt,'' the big guy — Hunk — was running to meet them.

''Oh, hm, hello again,'' they looked at Hunk with confusion. ''Did I forget something or…?''

Hunk frowned.

''What? No, nothing that I'm aware of,'' he set his walking pace to Pidge's small steps. ''Why? You lost something?''

''No…?'' Pidge got even more confused.

''Okay, well, I wanted to know if you needed the notes? From before you arrived here, so, like, from before today?'' Hunk asked, stumbling on his words.

''That's… yeah, that'd be nice,'' Pidge tried not to sound as surprised as they were.

Hunk nodded his head.

''Great! I could copy them for you, if you want,'' he smiled. ''Also, not to sound nosy, but are you Matt's sibling? Like… Matt Holt's sibling?''

''Yeah, that's me. Why?''

''He's our friend. And roommate,'' Hunk explained quickly. ''But he told us your name was Pidge?''

Pidge shrugged.

''It's like a nickname. I prefer Pidge to Katie because that's more gender-neutral,'' they shrugged again, this time because they were feeling awkward.

They knew a lot of people thought that 'other sexes' or pronouns preferences were weird or a shout for attention.

''That's fine with me,'' Hunk smiled widely. ''Also, I'm sorry that you first class had to be with Iverson. He's a pain in the butt that's for sure.''

''Does that guy always stand up to him?'' Pidge asked, speaking of that McClain.

''Lance? He gets off by pissing off Iverson,'' Hunk huffed. ''That's a figure of speech, he doesn't really…''

''Yeah, I know,'' Pidge smiled.

Then the boy suddenly joined them, jumping on Hunk's back.

''Big boooooooy,'' he sing-sang, then noticed Pidge. ''Oh, hey kiddo! _¿Que bola?_ ''

''It's Pidge, you know, Matt's sibling,'' Hunk informed his best friend, grabbing his legs so he didn't fall as he piggy-backpacked him.

''Thanks for saving me from Iverson, he was scaring me like shit,'' Pidge ignored how Lance called them a kiddo for now.

''No problem,'' Lance saluted them solemnly. ''Anything for the youth.''

''I'm 18, not 4, thanks,'' Pidge bit back, then noticed Lance's smile. ''You really got balls to stand up to him like that.''

Lance's smile got even wider.

''The biggest of them all.''

Pidge didn't get why him and Hunk got into a giggling fit.

''Anyways, uh, I'll tell Matt for the notes, Hunk,'' they said quietly, feeling too much.

''Oh, sure!'' Hunk turned his attention to them. ''Whenever you want, I can lend you my notebook or make copies, whatever suits you better.''

''Thanks,'' Pidge nodded their head, then realized it wasn't a proper answer. ''I can copy you notebook just fine.''

''Alright, well, you know where our dorm is!''

Pidge nodded their head again, looking at Hunk and then at Lance.

''I'll leave you two, I got a class in a few minutes,'' they said, trying not to sound as uneasy as they were. ''Bye, guys.''

''Bye, Pidge!'' Hunk smiled warmly, as Lance shouted a '' _Hasta luego_ , Pidgetto!'' that made Pidge smile a little.

They left the two friends to be as they headed to their next class.

Once Pidge was out of sight, Lance turned to look at his best friend's face.

''They're a carbon copy of Matt, oh my God.''

''I know, right!'' Hunk whispered, grinning from ear to ear.

 

* * *

 

 

Allura arrived to the flower shop five minutes before her shift started. Her uncle owned the shop and she was lucky enough that he gave her a job as soon as he opened it four years ago.

''Coran?'' she called out, going to the front desk.

A few seconds passed before a tall ginger man entered in the main room.

''Allura! How are you doing?'' he asked loudly, taking her in his arms and hugging her. ''Shay's already in the first greenhouse watering plants!''

''Great, I'm gonna take care of the second one,'' she adjusted her ponytail before putting on the shop's bright green apron.

She walked towards the greenhouse, waving hello at Shay as she passed the first one. Once in the greenhouse, the warm and moist atmosphere put Allura at ease. She grabbed the hose, adjusting the pressure, then started watering the plants that needed it. Shay joined her after ten minutes, putting nutriments in the pots.

''I'm finishing in 15 minutes,'' Shay announced softly. ''I have an afternoon class at 4PM.''

''Okay,'' Allura nodded her head slightly, standing up from where she was taking care of a few succulents. ''You look great today, seeing someone after school?''

Shay blessed her dark skin tone for hiding her blush.

''No one specific…'' she trailed off, looking down at her floral-printed skirt and brushing off invisible dust.

Allura raised one eyebrow, a smirk stretching her lips slowly. Shay was too sweet for her own good.

''Well, you're gorgeous.''

''Thanks, Allura,'' Shay smiled. ''You are too.''

''Always so nice, Shay, thank you!'' Allura took her hand and guided her to the third and final greenhouse. ''You're gonna make a lot of hearts melt!''

Shay was blushing like crazy. She wasn't used to be on the receiving end of compliments and Allura knew that.

''You sound like my grandma,'' she laughed softly. ''Do you need help here?'' she asked, looking at the tall woman as she took a watering can in her hands.

''I'm fine, cacti are pretty easy to take care of,'' Allura started looking at the different pots, watering the ones who were dry. ''Go wash your hands and knees, I'm all fine here!''

''Okay,'' Shay left the greenhouse to go to the small bathroom of the shop.

She went back to the greenhouse to say goodbye to her friend. Allura waved goodbye, not wanting to hug her and put dirt on her outfit.

''Have a great day,'' Allura smiled, traces of dirt on her left cheek. ''And good luck with that cooking class!''

''Thanks, you too,'' Shay grinned and left the shop moments later.

Allura took a deep breath, going back at the main room of the shop to make a few arrangements with the decorative flowers.  She liked to make color patterns or to group the flowers by their meanings. A few regular customers came by, chatting with her or with Coran about their how plants or what fertilizer was best for their flowers. When the shop was empty, Allura sitting boringly at the front desk, Coran decided to go grab coffee for both of them.

''It won't be long,'' he promised, grabbing his keys and his wallet. ''Bye bye!''

Allura watched the door close, the small bell ringing lightly. She took out her phone, stalking through social medias to pass time. She was looking at the Instagram of one of her favorite makeup artist when the bell rang softly again. She lifted her eyes quickly, putting her phone back in her pocket. She looked at the two people that just got in the shop and immediately recognized them.

It was Nyma and Lotor, two members of the city's well known street gang. Nyma approached the front desk, popping her chewing gum loudly, her crystal blue eyes piercing into Allura's soul.

''W-What are you doing here?'' Allura spoke with what she hoped was a firm voice.

''Calm down, girl, we're here for Shay,'' Nyma smirked, leaning against the counter. ''Not for this shitty flower shop.''

''Well, she's not here,'' Allura retorted, standing up to face Nyma.

Nyma was small compared to her, but she was definitely scarier.

''She told us she worked here,'' Lotor spat, smacking one of the decorative violet that was on the desk.

The poor plant fell on the floor, pot cracking and dirt splaying the cement.

''Her shift finished about an hour ago,'' Allura explained, looking at the violet on the ground then back at the blonde girl in front of her.

Nyma stared at Allura in silence, before nodding her head once.

''Okay, I'm gonna text her,'' she said simply.

She then hit Lotor on the arm, pointing the flower he smacked down.

''Pick it up, you aggressive moron.''

Lotor glared at her, then at Allura before picking up the pieces of pottery and the violet.

''Thank you,'' Allura said, her lips pressed in a thin line.

At that moment, Coran came back in the shop. He lost his smile when he saw Nyma and Lotor.

''Is something wrong?'' he asked.

''No, we were leaving,'' Nyma smiled at Allura, eyes sparkling with something that scared Allura. ''Oh. You've got something on your cheek.''

The blonde girl leaned towards Allura again, wiping the dirt she had on her cheek with her thumb.

''All gone,'' she was still smiling innocently, Allura's face burning hot. ''C'mon, Lotor. We've got places to be.''

Nyma twirled on her feet, her long hair flowing around her like a golden veil. The duo left the shop with no further ado. Coran looked at his niece with concern.

''What happened?''

''They were here for Shay, but I don't know why,'' Allura frowned, sighing heavily.

''Shay's a sweetheart, what do bad kids like them have on her?'' Coran gave Allura her Frappuccino, toying with his mustache nervously. ''That is highly unusual.''

''I'm gonna call her tonight, ask her what is going on,'' Allura nodded her head.

''Great, great,'' the man looked at his niece for a second before heading to the backstore. ''I'm going to tidy up in the back, call me if you need me.''

Allura nodded her head again, slurping on her coffee nervously. Shay was one of her closest friends and she didn't want anything bad to happen to her.

 

* * *

 

 

Lance arrived in the library after his last class, already exhausted with his day. He was there only for his weekly Attempt at Learning Shit He Won't Ever Need in His Life, where he'd go try to stuff his brain with as much as he could. He usually tried to do all his school work that day, so he didn't have to worry about it when other works added to the pile.

He climbed the stairs one by one lazily, getting to the fourth floor, since last time he went to the third floor he got offered drugs in the only bathroom of the floor. Once arrived at the top floor, he was glad to see that the dozen of tables were practically all empty, only a shady dude in the far left corner and a group of four in the middle. That meant he could choose his favorite table.

He walked to the back of the studying section, sitting at the table at the far right corner. The old wooden chair made an abominable, yet predictable sound as it dragged on the floor. He sat on it heavily, the heavy silence weighing on his shoulders. He was a loud guy, and he hated silence. It had always made him uncomfortable.

He got his notebook out of his bag, as well as his laptop and his textbook. Why did he have Maths when he was positively sure he would never use them in his future jobs? He took a deep breath, already done with homework. As his laptop was turning on and updating ― without his consent, by the way ― he got his phone out and plugged his headphones on, putting on his favorite playlist. He prepared his notes, planning his essay in the margin to save time.

Once the desktop appeared on the screen of his laptop, Lance immediately putting himself in his concentrated mode and started writing his five pages essay. He wanted to finish it as soon as possible, since he still had Maths homework to do before night came. He achieved to write four pages in an hour, which is a record on its own for him, but he definitely needed a small break after that.

He laid back on his chair, stretching his arms and legs, feeling his joints pop as he did. He observed the people around him, music blasting in his ears. There were a few more students than when he came in, but the room was still relatively empty. He watched as a guy around his age walked down the aisle between tables, directly towards the tables in the back. Lance couldn't see him clearly, the mop of dark hair blocking his face. The boy was looking down at his phone, until he bumped in the table in front of Lance's. The shock made him drop his phone on the ground, swearing under his breath. Lance giggled, taking his headphones off.

''You okay there, buddy?'' he asked.

The boy stared at him, his expression shifting from anger to confusion. He stayed silent for way too long for Lance's liking, his eyes locked on him as if Lance wasn't supposed to be there. He frowned, thick brows nearly connecting in the middle of his face. Lance realized he was still smiling at him, but he didn't want to look rude so he kept his smile as reassuring as possible.

''I said, are you okay?'' he repeated, even if he was 99% sure the boy had heard him first.

''Um, yeah,'' the boy finally spoke, voice low.

He sat at the table across Lance's, looking disturbed. Lance frowned and lost his smile as soon as the guy looked away. That kid was weird as Hell. He was wearing fingerless gloves and was sporting a mullet, which were two of Lance's most hated fashion trends of all times. _Jesus Christ, I've never seen an emo in real life before now_ , Lance thought, looking at the boy in awe. The boy shyly looked at him again, their eyes locking for a moment, just enough so Lance could notice his eye color. _Shit, who_ has _purple eyes?_

Two hours later, Lance had done his essay and his homework for the week. In those two hours, he had caught the guy staring at him multiple times; every time their eyes locked he would look away with an emotionless face as if nothing of that ever happened. It intrigued Lance as much as it scared him. But since the boy didn't do anything more than staring, he let him be. He remembered his mamá telling him to 'let people be who they are, pequeño'. As long as the guy didn't follow him home or offered him drugs in the bathroom, he had no problema with him stalking him. _Well shit._

He started packing up his stuff, ready to go home and eat supper. His stomach growled in approval as he started daydreaming about his mamá's cooking. The noise didn't come unnoticed as the emo boy lifted his eyes from his book, looking at Lance. The dark skinned boy raised his eyebrows in surprise as the boy giggled. _He fucking giggled_ , Lance couldn't help but smile. The boy then went back to his book, a cute dimpled smile still on his lips. Lance turned off his laptop, not before doing a copy of his works and putting them on his USB key. Once all his things were safe in his bag, he stood up, stretching out his limbs again and groaning in satisfaction when his spine cracked successfully. He put his backpack on his shoulders, grabbing his phone. He felt it buzz in his hands and he looked down at who was texting him. Lance winced when he saw it was Matt and then made a pained look when he saw what the message said.

**_Mattman : ur abt to get #pranked fucker_ **

Lance took a deep breath.

'' _Eh mierda._ ''

The emo boy turned to look at him.

''You okay?'' he asked quietly.

Lance closed his phone, sighing dramatically.

''Yeah. It's fine. Just my roommate thinking he's funny.''

The boy raised his eyebrows.

''Oh, okay.''

Lance got out of the library, quietly swearing at Matt for being such an immature 21 years old with a fervent passion with pranking.

When he arrived at their apartment, Lance was over-alert. Matt's pranks weren't known as the soft, funny ones like putting salt instead of sugar in his coffee or switching the settings of his phone in French. No. Last time Matt pranked him he had put all his underwear in the freezer and Lance searched for them for three days before finding them.

He opened the door slowly, peeking inside. The lights were all turned off. That was a bad start.

''You fucking dick,'' he muttered, reaching a hand inside to turn on the hallway light.

Lance glanced around, searching for any hint of a small brown haired guy. Once he made sure the coast was clear, he got in. He looked around, the apartment sounded empty. Hunk wasn't home from work yet and Matt was nowhere in sight. He took off his shoes and his jacket, keeping his bag in his hands. He then headed to the kitchen, putting his bag on the table and getting out his laptop. He sat on his habitual chair before noticing the beloved Heinz Ketchup on the table. He frowned, taking it and going to the fridge. He opened the fridge's door only to find Matt crouched in it.

Lance didn't have time to process what the fuck was going on that Matt was jumping on him while screaming. The taller boy screeched in terror, falling on the ground as Matt fell on him.

''You just got Punk'd!'' Matt howled loudly.

Lance wheezed, his face livid and his breath uneven.

''¡ _Vete tara la pinga,_ fucking _maric _ó_ n_!'' he breathed out. ''What is wrong with you?''

Matt was laughing loudly, as if freezing his ass off was worth making Lance shit his pants.

''You should've seen your face,'' he laughed, getting up.

The shorter guy grabbed his phone, which was semi-hidden behind one of the plastic plants they had.

''Man, I have to see it again,'' he smiled, stopping the video and watching it from the start.

Lance got up, glaring at Matt.

''How long were you in our fridge? Where's our food? And, most importantly, WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU?'' he yelled.

''I was in it for about an hour, seriously it was fucking freezing,'' Matt smiled. ''But oh, so worth it.''

''Fuck you, Matt. Eat my dick,'' Lance spat. ''Where's our food? I'm hungry.''

Matt finished watching the video, throwing another fit of laughter. Lance was _this close_ to smack the brain out of Matt.

''Lance, we have nothing in our fridge. The ketchup and a rotten egg was everything we had,'' Matt said flatly, watching Lance's face shift from angriness to sadness in a tick.

''Aw man, means I have the choice between crackers, ramen or Lipton soup?''

Matt patted Lance's hair softly as Lance crumbled to the ground.

''I also have a leftover of Chinese food in the fridge,'' he whispered.

Lance looked up at him, his eyes bright and teary.

''For me?''

Matt nodded his head solemnly, still patting Lance's hair because _shit_ his hair's soft like feathers.

''Thanks, buddy!'' Lance hugged Matt's middle as he stood up, picking him up as he did.

''I knew you were going to hate me for making you shit your pants so I left you food.''

''Matty, buddy, my man, my _puta_ , you might be a terrible friend, but you're a great person,'' Lance let Matt down, then went to the fridge to grab the leftovers.

Matt sat at the table, looking at his phone as Lance reheated the Chinese takeout.

''Didn't you say that you worked on Friday night?'' Matt asked as Lance sat down in front of him.

''Yeah, but Hunkyboo took my shift so I could study,'' he replied, taking a mouthful of rice. ''Such an angel.''

Matt dodged a grain of rice that spilled out of Lance's mouth.

''You're lucky to have a best friend like him, I'd leave you to struggle rather than losing my Friday night at working.''

''Yeah instead you vedge at home watching porn or something,'' Lance giggled.

''I do not! I was planning on going out tonight,'' Matt huffed, crossing his arms on his chest.

''With who? You don't have friends.''

Matt was about to reply when he remembered something else.

''Lance, it's been over 8 hours,'' he said instead.

Lance's eyes widen.

'' _Mierda_ , you're right,'' he sprinted out of the room, only to be back a minute later. ''Thanks, I don't know why I keep forgetting.''

He went back at eating, before dropping his fork.

''So, with who are you going out?'' he asked.

''No one,'' Matt gave up. ''I'm going in solo, wishing to waste my ass off and regret everything tomorrow morning.''

''Hashtag forever single life,'' Lance stuck out his fist.

Matt fist-bumped him, because #relatable.

''Anyway, if you need a ride home, don't forget I'm your ICE,'' Lance sighed. ''Although I won't be happy if I'm asleep, I'll go get your drunken ass wherever you are.''

''You are a true friend, Lance,'' Matt smiled. ''Who knows, maybe I'll find someone to get me home instead.''

Both he and Lance waggled their eyebrows, then burst out laughing. Lance finished eating as Matt was on his phone, humming a random 2009 song. Hunk came home a few minutes later, letting himself fall down on his chair.

''Helloooooo, beautiful,'' Lance threw himself on Hunk's lap, hugging him tightly. ''Thank you again for taking that shift for me!''

''You better be thankful, I had two separate vomit incident to clean up and the coffee machine broke,'' Hunk groaned. ''In a coffee shop! The darn coffee machine freaking broke!''

''Watch your profanities,'' Matt whispered, making Hunk smile a little.

''You're the best best friend, Hunky,'' Lance purred. ''You regained all your lost friendship points plus fifty more.''

''Fifthy?'' Matt exclaimed. ''How many do I have?''

Lance pretended to think for a second.

''Like, minus three for that prank.''

''I gave you my leftovers!'' Matt wailed.

''Yeah so you got from minus thirteen to minus three. Want a recalculation? They cost ten friendship points, _cabron_.''

Hunk made a small 'Oooooh' as Matt threw his arms in the air.

''Well there's definitely favoritism here,'' he spat. ''I'm gonna go get wrecked.''

He stood up, putting his phone in his pocket.

''Where're you going?'' Hunk asked.

''At the local bar, to find some cutie or to find some inner peace.''

''Alright, have fun,'' Hunk smiled, patting Matt's back as he walked by.

''Thanks, take care of our drama queen here,'' Matt said, grabbing his coat and putting on his combat boots. ''Bye bye, my friends!''

Hunk said goodbye as Lance waved lazily, cuddling on his best friend's chest. He'd lie if he said it wasn't his favorite pillow. Hunk wrapped his arms around him, taking a deep breath.

''Wanna watch a movie?'' he asked.

''Don't you want to eat?'' Lance frowned, lifting his chin up to look at Hunk.

''Already ate at the job,'' Hunk said, standing up.

He carried Lance bridal-style to the living room before dropping him on the couch. He then sat beside him, grabbing the remotes.

''What do you want to watch?''

 

* * *

 

 

When Shiro got to the bar he worked at, it was almost 11PM. He knew that Friday nights were always crazy and finished as the bar closed, which was at 5 in the morning. He went to the backstore, crossing the bartender that just finished her shift.

''How is it in there?'' Shiro asked the brunette.

''Not bad, only one really drunk guy at the bar. I've been giving him shots of apple juice for the past thirty minutes and he didn't notice,'' she laughed. ''Good luck with that. Also, there was a fight or two, but nothing serious.''

Shiro nodded his head, putting on the thin white tie that consisted his uniform.

''Alright, good night,'' he said as the woman left the building.

He then got behind the bar, glad to see that there wasn't a huge lineup. He started taking orders and making drinks, hoping to make good tips that night. He flirted back with some people, putting on his brightest smile. He knew how to spot the 'tippers', aka the ones who tipped a lot, and those were the ones he served the best because _money_.

Around 3AM, people started to leave slowly. Fewer people were buying drinks, since a lot of them were there for hours and had enough of alcohol in their blood. Shiro took the opportunity to relax a bit, chatting with the lonely people on the stools or cleaning the surface of the counter. He then spotted a small figure on the end of the bar, leaning against the surface and possibly sleeping on their crossed arms. Shiro excused himself to the man he was talking too, then walked to the person he guessed was the one the other bartender talked about.

Once if front of the man, Shiro took the two shooters in front of him and put them in the sink behind him. He poked the other guy's arm with his pointer finger, hoping the guy was asleep and not unconscious.

''Hey, there,'' he said, loud enough to be heard over the music. ''Eh, wake up.''

The guy seemed to slowly come back to reality, sitting straighter on the stool. Shiro's eyes widened when he recognized Pidge's brother.

''Hello?'' Matt frowned, eyes trying to focus on the man in front of him.

He took off his glasses, head spinning. He had traces of his glasses around his eyes from the pressure of sleeping on them.

''I think you had enough for tonight,'' Shiro told him.

''Yeah, I think too,'' Matt slurred out. ''Can I…''

The smaller guy stared at something behind Shiro, eyes squinting painfully.

''Can I have some water, please?''

''Sure,'' Shiro nodded, grabbing a water bottle in the fridge and handing it to Matt.

He then went back to serving the people who were waiting in the middle of the bar, still keeping an eye on Matt in case he needed to throw up. The boy didn't look okay at all. Once everybody had their wished drink, Shiro went back to Matt. The brown-haired boy put a five bill on the counter, sliding it towards Shiro.

''For the water,'' he said, gulping at the water bottle as to show which water he was talking about.

''Oh, don't worry,'' Shiro pushed back the money. ''It's on the house.''

Both guys looked surprised, Matt because _Who wouldn't accept money?_ and Shiro because _Did I just refuse money?_

''You're my guardian angel, hot bartender,'' Matt whispered, loud enough for Shiro to hear it.

Shiro blushed slightly, cursing himself for letting drunken words affect him.

''Shouldn't you go home? It's getting pretty late.''

''Yeah,'' Matt sighed, putting his glasses back on. ''I'm gonna go home.''

''Wait,'' Shiro grabbed Matt's wrist to get his attention. ''Are you driving? I can call you a taxi. There's no way you're driving in this state.''

Matt smiled.

''It's okay, I can walk.''

''You don't want me to call a taxi?'' Shiro asked again.

''I'm broke as fuck, hot bartender,'' Matt slurred out, laughing at himself. ''And I walked all the way to here, I can do it again.''

Shiro frowned.

''It's like an hour long walk. In a sober state. God knows how long it will take for you to go home.''

''What do you offer? I don't have a car and I don't have money for a taxi, even less for a Uber,'' Matt groaned impatiently. ''Lemme goooo.''

''I do,'' Shiro spoke firmly. ''I have a car. We live in the same building.''

''Congrats, Mr. I'm-So-Rich-I-Can-Afford-A-Car,'' Matt pouted childishly.

Shiro took a deep breath, collecting his already-thin patience.

''What I mean is my shift ends in an hour and a half. After that, I can drive you home.''

Matt's eyes brightened.

''You'd do that?'' he gasped.

Shiro smiled as Matt sat back on the stool.

''Sure.''

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation :  
> Comepinga : literally means dick eater  
> ¿Que bola? : What's up?  
> Hasta luego : Goodbye or See you later  
> Mierda : Shit  
> Vete tara la pinga : Go to hell or Fuck you dick  
> Maricón : Homosexual  
> Puta : Bitch or Whore  
> Cabron : Asshole
> 
> (Please, please, please tell me if I wrote, used or translated those wrong!)  
> \--
> 
> I'll probably upload one to twice a week!
> 
> Kudos if you liked this chapter, comments are always appreciated!


	3. Green

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Third chapter here, full of gayness and tired college students!!
> 
> Enjoy! xx

Lance was eating his cereals — thanks to Hunk, who went grocery shopping in panic at 7AM on a Saturday morning — when Matt entered the kitchen, his hair a disaster and his eyes still half-closed.

''Hey Matt,'' Hunk greeted him from where he was sitting beside Lance. ''How's your hungover?''

Matt slumped on a vacant chair, groaning in pain as he leaned his head against the table.

''Bad. Horrible,'' he whined. ''I don't remember shit after I came in the bar.''

''Well, you came home around 5:30 in the morning in the arms of a hottie, man,'' Lance smirked.

''I what?'' Matt raised his head a little to look at Lance. ''You didn't come get me?''

Lance shook his head as Hunk got up and left the room, excusing himself for a moment.

''Some guy drove you here and got you home safe,'' Lance explained briefly. ''He said that he found you like that in the bar and didn't trust you to come home alone.''

''What did he look like?'' Matt asked, genuinely curious.

Hunk came back in the kitchen with aspirins and a glass of water. He put them down in front of Matt, who looked at Hunk with wide, tired eyes.

''My savior,'' he whispered as he took the aspirins, chugging down the glass of water.

Lance waited until he finished drinking the water before answering Matt's question.

''I was half-asleep when I opened the door, so I didn't focus on the man and his looks but more on you. I was scared you were dead, or worse,'' he babbled, then remembered to actually answer the question. ''Anyway, he was tall, taller than me, and really really buff. Even more than Hunk, and we all know how powerful those arms are,'' Lance tapped his chin softly. ''He was wearing a black buttoned-up shirt and a white tie, so I take a guess and I say he was working at the bar you went to. Y'know, typical bar-people uniform and shit.''

Matt took nearly a whole minute to take in the information Lance just told him.

''I wish I remembered, even though it might've been humiliating,'' he sighed. ''It's even more humiliating to not remember one single bit of last night.''

''I wonder how he knew where you lived, dude, you were totally out of your mind,'' Hunk frowned. ''You kept repeating nonsense. Like numbers and stuff like that.''

''That was funny,'' Lance pointed out. ''What was less funny was when you threw up in the bathtub, then beside the bathtub and then in your bed.''

Matt massaged his temples, closing his eyes tiredly.

''I'm sorry,'' he groaned. ''I dunno why I drank that much, I'm fucking lightweight.''

''It's okay, buddy,'' Lance patted his head gently, knowing it reassured Matt when someone strokes his hair. ''We got you, and as long as you don't do that often, we're not mad.''

Matt nodded his head slightly, trying to stop the spinning of his mind.

''I'm gonna go brush my teeth and sleep a little,'' he mumbled. ''Wake me up if you need me.''

''Alright, good night,'' Hunk said softly.

Matt left the room, dragging his feet on the floor.

''Poor thing, he doesn't even remember the hot bod that got him home,'' Lance sighed, leaning on his hand and looking away dreamily.

''Do you think he gets a lot of girls with muscles like that?'' Hunk asked.

Lance looked at his best friend, frowning.

''What kind of question is that?''

''Well, it's been a while since I got a girlfriend, so I was wondering if that was because I wasn't exactly in shape,'' Hunk pouted cutely, poking his belly.

''Hunkyboo, my man, my best friend in the whole wide world, you are perfect just like you are,'' Lance wrapped one arm around Hunk's shoulders, bringing him closer. ''You have the shape of a Hunk, and I tell you, a Hunk is really really really nice to cuddle with and keeps you warm at every time of the year.''

Hunk smiled a little. Lance knew how to make him feel better about himself.

''I know it's not comparable, but I have belly fat too!'' Lance said, standing up and lifting his loose shirt. ''Touch, it's soft and pouchy.''

Hunk pinched his love handles gently before dropping his hands back on his thighs.

''Some girls prefer rock-hard abs, others like pillow-y bellies, and some others prefer vaginas, but then there's nothing you can do,'' Lance smiled, sitting back on his chair. ''If you don't have a girlfriend at the moment, it's only because right now is not the time. Or you didn't meet the right person yet!''

''You're right,'' Hunk conceded, his smile getting wider.

Lance smiled back, happy to see his friend feeling better.

''Wanna play to that new game you bought the other day?'' he asked, getting up and putting his empty bowl in the sink. ''I'm sure I can beat your ass at it.''

Hunk laughed, ''Wanna bet?''

''Hell yeah, big boy,'' Lance smirked.

Lance lost $10 that morning.

 

* * *

 

 

Shay was studying quietly at the library when someone smacked their books down on the table beside her, making her jump in shock.

''Hey,'' she heard someone whisper loudly — if that was possible.

She looked up at Allura, who sat beside her with concern on her face.

''Are you okay, Allura?'' Shay asked her voice even soft and calm.

''I am,'' Allura replied, raising her perfectly plucked eyebrows. ''Are you?''

''Why wouldn't I be?'' Shay was more than confused. ''What is wrong, Allura?''

The white-haired girl took a deep breath, playing with her braids nervously. Shay was getting more nervous by the seconds. Allura was usually the really chill girl you came to when you had a problem, not the other way around. Shay wasn't really good at helping others with their problems.

''Nyma and Lotor showed up at the shop the other day, looking for you,'' she murmured, her face serious. ''Now tell me, Shay baby, are you in any kind of trouble? I can help you.''

Shay tilted her head on the side a little, like a puppy not understanding what they were hearing. Well, that wasn't what she was expecting. And _Did Allura just call me Shay baby?_

''What? I'm fine, I assure you,'' she spoke carefully. Her face then lit up as she understood what this was all about. ''Oh, it's because it was Nyma and her friend?''

''Yes! They can be dangerous, Lotor broke something in the shop!'' Allura gestured her arms around her. ''Why were they looking for you?''

''Well, only Nyma was there for me. Lotor was there only because he follows her everywhere she goes,'' Shay rectified shyly. ''She… she's my best friend since preschool. I told her she could come see me at the shop if she had time, but she must've mixed up the hours I gave her.''

Allura stared at her with shock. How can two people who spent their childhood together grow up so differently? Nyma was all… small and full of badass-ness while Shay was tall and as soft as a baby penguin.

''I'm sorry if Lotor broke something, he's… he's a stupid douchebag, I don't like him,'' Shay continued, staring down at her nails.

Allura took a minute to find the words she wanted to say. There was a lot going on in her mind.

''I'm glad that you're not into trouble, I really am,'' she smiled. ''I just never thought that you and Nyma could be friends, you're just so different!''

Shay shrugged, her green eyes trailing between her hands and Allura's face.

''She's a good friend and she's loyal,'' she crossed her legs. ''She's always been there for me, and even if I don't agree with everything she does, she keeps me out of it and never mentions it when we're together.''

''Okay,'' Allura nodded her head. ''As long as you're safe… You know I care for you, Shay, I really do!''

''Thanks, Allura,'' Shay smiled. ''I swear to you that Nyma is a great person… she just got in the wrong pathway in life.''

''I trust you and I believe you,'' Allura took Shay's hands in hers. ''Now… I have something to ask you…''

Shay looked at their hands, then at Allura's bright blue eyes.

''Yeah? What is it?''

''I was wondering if you'd like to be my shopping buddy and come at Sephora with me once you're done studying?'' Allura smiled widely. ''We need to bond more, have more girls-only moments!''

Shay's face brightened.

''Sure! You could help me find something good for my skin tone… I never get my foundation right,'' she smiled, her hands holding Allura's tighter.

''And I have this collection of lipstick to show you, they'd look amazing on you!'' Allura said excitedly.

Shay's cheeks turned pink from Allura's excitement. Why was Allura so happy to pass time with her? It's not like she was her only friend.

''I should've finished around 3PM, is that okay?''

''It's perfect!'' Allura couldn't stop smiling. ''Text me if there's any change in our plan, otherwise I'll come back right here to get you!''

''Alright,'' Shay uncrossed her legs, happiness blooming in her chest. ''It's plan.''

''It's a date,'' Allura winked.

She then grabbed her books and left the library, swinging her hips happily.

 

* * *

 

 

''Looks like you lost again, Keith,'' Pidge smirked as she bought the last stand Keith had on Monopoly.

Keith took in a deep breath, taking every last bit of patience he had to not throw away the board.

''You cheated, I'm sure,'' he crossed his arms on his chest, looking away with a frown on his mouth. ''Shiro! Tell them they cheated.''

Shiro tried not to laugh at his brother's childishness.

''They didn't cheat, Keith. You just got owned.''

Keith threw his arms in the air, making Pidge snicker as Shiro put the pieces back in the box. The front door then opened, Allura getting in and storming in the living room.

''Hello guys,'' she exclaimed, nearly tripping on the Monopoly board.

''Well you sure do look happy today,'' Shiro smiled. ''What's going on?''

Allura sat on the couch, crossing her ankles.

''I found a shopping buddy to go with me on my eternal Shopping Saturdays,'' she smiled.

''Finally,'' Keith muttered. ''I was tired of being the bag-bearer.''

''And,'' Allura ignored Keith's comment, ''she's the sweetest angel I've ever met so I'm excited!''

''That's great,'' Shiro smiled, giving the now closed Monopoly box to Pidge. ''Who is she? Do we know her?''

Pidge took the box and left the room to go put it in the shelf in Keith's room. It was the first time they got in his room, so they let go of their nosy-self and started peeking around. Keith had put a lot of drawings, paintings and photos on the walls. It was rather clean for a 19-years-old boy's bedroom, no cups or half-eaten plates on the ground, only clothes. After a minute, they left the room, not wanting to look as nosy as they were.

When they got back in the living room, there was only Keith sitting on the couch.

''I think Allura has a crush on Shay,'' Keith stated, not looking away from his phone.

Pidge raised their eyebrows.

''Like a girl-crush? Who's Shay?'' they asked as they sat beside him.

''She works at the flower shop with Allura,'' Keith explained. ''And I think it's a real crush. I mean, Allura's the type of girl to always have a crush on someone, never go a day without daydreaming about another girl, but this looks different.''

''Wow, I didn't think you'd be the type of guy to notice that kind of stuff about people,'' Pidge smirked. ''That must be your gay side showing.''

Keith dropped his phone on his lap, standing up to face Pidge.

''Okay, first of all, I spent years with Allura, she's Shiro's best friend, and before Shiro came out to us, I was the GBF by default,'' Keith pointed a finger at Pidge. ''I didn't have the choice to listen to her babble day and night about all her fantasies and dreams. Second of all,'' he put his hand back on his hip. ''How do you know I'm gay?''

''Well, the pose you have right now doesn't exactly scream 'Straight','' Pidge started, as Keith exclaimed ''That's homophobic''. They ignored him and continued. ''And I've noticed the multiple drawings of very little clothed men in your room.''

Keith blushed, embarrassed.

''That's…'' he winced. ''That's a good assumption, I'll let it go.''

''So, no one in this dorm is straight?''

''Yeah. We're a good representation of the LGBT+,'' Keith giggled, sitting back on the couch.

''So, Shiro's gay too?''

''Eh, he's pan. Pansexual. He's not… a pan.''

Pidge stared at Keith, unimpressed.

''I know what pan is, Keith. Thanks for specifying it,'' they deadpanned.

Keith huffed unhappily, going back to his phone.

''So you think Allura has a crush on Shay?''

''Well, yeah. I might be wrong, tho,'' he shrugged. ''I often am.''

''Guess we'll see,'' Pidge pointed out.

Shiro then entered the living room.

''Can one of you just do something with Allura? I have somewhere to be and she won't let me leave,'' he pleaded.

''You have nowhere to be, Shiro,'' Keith scoffed. ''I had to endure pining Allura for years, now's your time.''

Shiro whined incoherently, slumping his shoulders.

''C'mon, I just woke up,'' he pouted.

''You woke up two hours ago, get your facts right,'' Keith retorted.

Allura came in the room, her heels clacking on the floor loudly.

''Shiro, I need your help for something,'' she grabbed his arm and began pulling him away.

''Wait, Allura, princess, I came back from work really late this morning, I'm still tired. I need a nap,'' Shiro did his puppy eyes the best he could.

Allura let go of his arm, letting out a small ''Oh''.

''In that case, go sleep! What time did you came home?'' she asked, concerned.

''Around 6AM.''

''What? The bar closes at 5, Shiro!'' Keith exclaimed, knowing that if his brother was going to sleep, he was the next on Allura's list.

''I had an… unexpected thing to take care of,'' Shiro hesitated.

Keith groaned in defeat when he saw Allura's eyes full of pity.

''You should go get some rest, Shiro,'' Allura patted his shoulder softly. ''You need some.''

''Thanks, Allura,'' Shiro then turned his head towards Keith, mouthing 'Good luck' to his brother.

Keith raised his major in his direction, watching Shiro leave with a smirk plastered on his face. Allura looked at Keith, smiling.

''Keith? I need your help!'' she sing-sang.

The dark-haired boy swore under his breath.

 

* * *

 

 

Allura came back at the library at 3PM, finding Shay at the exact same spot she left her. This time she didn't scare her, instead she sat in front of her quietly. Shay looked up from her book, smiling when she saw her friend grinning widely.

''It's already 3?'' Shay asked softly, closing her book. ''I feel like I've been here for 10 hours and still remember nothing.''

''I know, it's the struggle of every student, Shay,'' Allura nodded her head sympathetically. ''I like what you did with you hair!''

Shay played with a strand of her curly hair, blushing.

''Thanks, but it's only my natural hair…''

''And it's beautiful!'' Allura didn't let go. ''Now, pack your things up, we're going shopping!''

Shay did as told, putting her school effects back in her bag. Once she was done, she stood up and followed Allura out of the library. Allura was holding her hand casually, heading towards the parking lot of the campus.

''You have a car?'' Shay asked, immediately regretting because _Of course she has a car, she comes to work in her car five times a week._

''Actually, I don't,'' Allura chuckled. ''I use Shiro's car. Shiro is my roommate.''

''Oh, okay,'' Shay smiled, happy she didn't look stupid.

''But I do have a bike. Like, motorbike,'' Allura glanced at Shay for a second. ''If you want, I could give you a ride one day. Not today, tho, because we'll need a car to put all our shopping bags in.''

Shay took a few seconds to reply.

''Yeah, that'd be nice.''

Allura took her — or Shiro's — keys out of her purse, unlocking the doors of a navy blue Honda Civic. Shay went sitting on the passenger seat, putting her school bag on the backseat. She didn't mention the multiple McDonald's empty paper bags on the floor of the car. Allura sat on the driver's seat, taking a deep breath.

''I know, it's dirty,'' she apologized. ''You know, boys.''

Shay giggled, because she knew exactly how Allura was feeling.

''Anyways,'' Allura continued, putting the key in the ignition. ''I was thinking of going to Sephora first, then maybe go to some clothing boutiques because I saw there were sales. Maybe after we'll go eat somewhere if we're hungry. Is that okay?''

''That's fine with me,'' Shay smiled. ''But I'm on a budget so nothing too fancy, please.''

''Don't worry, I'm not rich either,'' Allura winked, then proceeded to drive them out of the Academia's grounds. ''If you want, you can put on some music.''

She showed Shay where was the AUX cord, handing her her phone.

''What's you code?'' Shay asked, Allura immediately replying with ''3491''.

Shay unlocked Allura's phone, clicking on the music app.

''Why 3491?''

''I really don't know,'' Allura laughed briefly. ''I just memorized that number super easily with my first phone, six years ago.''

Shay grinned before choosing a playlist that contained songs that she actually knew. Her genre was classical music and R&B while Allura's seemed more a fan of hip hop and early 2000's pop. Allura was singing along, exaggerating her moves to make Shay laugh. Shay was doing her best to remember the lyrics of the songs she knew, shyly trying to join her friend in her kind-of-karaoke show.

They arrived at the mall 20 minutes later, Allura searching a parking lot as close of the entrance doors as possible. She turned off the car, Shay giving her back her phone.

''Alright, let's go,'' she smiled before getting out of the car.

Shay grabbed her school bag, searching in it for her wallet. Once she found it, she got out of the car, following Allura as she headed towards the mall.

''If I remember correctly,'' Allura spoke loudly for no reason, opening the door for Shay, ''the Sephora store is this way.''

She pointed to the left and Shay, who never went to this mall before, went on with it. After 15 minutes of walking aimlessly in the left wing of the mall, both girls decided that maybe Allura didn't remember correctly where her favorite store was.

''Maybe we should look at the map,'' Shay offered.

''I guess we should,'' Allura nodded her head, grabbing Shay by the arm and pulling her towards the nearest map.

After making sure they knew the way to the Sephora, they headed in the right direction, Allura never really stopping talking to put Shay at ease.

''So, you wanted foundation,'' she listed. ''What else?''

''Maybe highlighter?'' Shay hesitated. ''I don't know, I use very minimalistic makeup.''

''What about you tell me what you have at home? We _have_ to buy you a complete starter pack.''

They got in the Sephora, Shay telling her friend what makeup products she had at home. Allura grabbed two shopping bags, handing one to Shay, to put all their effects in.

''Okay, first we need a moisturizer that's good for your skin,'' she stared into the different sections, looking like a child on Christmas. ''Do you put anything on your skin before putting on foundation?''

Shay shook her head, making Allura let out a small, repressed scream.

''What would you do without me?'' Allura said seriously, going to the skincare section.

She started looking at Shay's face meticulously, then picking up products on the shelves and putting them in Shay's shopping bag. Shay stared at the five or six products in her bag, frowning.

''These all looks expensive,'' she hesitated.

Allura stopped herself from putting a seventh product in Shay's bag.

''Oops, right, budget,'' she snapped her fingers. ''Well, you definitely need a moisturizer, but I think you can choose a cheaper one.''

She started switching up products, until there were only two of them left in Shay's bag.

''Here, that's like twenty bucks,'' she smiled.

''That's better,'' Shay grinned back, before Allura pulled her in another section.

She helped Shay picking up the right tone for her foundation, then showed her the way to her favorite lipstick brand.

Half an hour later and with at least forty swatches on their hands, the two women had chosen their favorite shades, more neutral tones for Shay and more bright colors for Allura.

''I always wanted to be a beauty guru, y'know,'' Allura told Shay quietly, as if she was telling her her deepest secret.

''I'm sure you could,'' Shay said softly, smiling encouragingly. ''You're really good with makeup, I've seen your Instagram.''

''Thank you,'' Allura smiled back, ''but the thing is… I have to make my style unique and interesting if I want to be recognized for my makeup and I'm just doing normal stuff. I never create something on my own, I just copy other people.''

Shay took a few seconds to find the right words to say.

''Well,'' she spoke carefully, ''once you have the talent, you can get loose and start experiencing with stuff you've never done before… there's no limit to art.''

Allura nodded her head slowly.

''You're right, I guess I just have to try to do my own thing,'' she replaced one loose strand of hair behind her ear. ''Now let's go pay for our stuff here and go somewhere else.''

They went to the cashier, Allura's numbers on her receipt were at least twice those on Shay's receipt. They then got to the first decent clothing store they came across, going on and hunting for sales. They were taking anything that cost less than $10 and that were fitting them, going in the changing room and often ending up laughing on the floor because while fashion was creative, it wasn't always beautiful when wore by anyone else than the mannequin.

''Well, that dress was looking really good on you,'' Allura commented, ''and those overalls too, with the stripped shirt.''

''Didn't I look like a farmer?'' Shay asked as she twirled in front of the mirror, making the skirt of her dress move prettily. She really liked that dress too.

''Not at all!'' Allura exclaimed, looking at Shay through the mirror. ''I swear to you, with the right shoes you'll be amazing!''

Shay pouted, hesitating.

''What kind of shoes?''

''Heeled ankle boots, or even combats boots or Timberlands,'' Allura thought out loud.

''I have ankle boots,'' Shay said as she went back in the changing room to change back in her clothes.

When they both had finished trying on clothes, they picked up the ones they preferred the most and gave the others back to the clerk. After buying the clothes, they got out of the store.

''Do you want to go to another store,'' Allura offered, ''or do we go eat dinner right away?''

''What time is it?'' Shay asked.

Allura got out her phone, checking the time quickly.

''Half past five,'' she answered. ''So? What are we doing?''

''Do you want to go to another store?''

Allura shrugged, looking around.

''I mean, I already spent a lot for today.''

''Yeah, and I'm starting to get hungry,'' Shay smiled.

''Then let's go eat!'' Allura exclaimed, grabbing Shay's hand. ''I know a restaurant that isn't quite fancy but it's tasty as hell, you'll like it!''

She began pulling Shay towards the food court, making Shay giggle and trot behind her.

''See, it's an Italian restaurant,'' Allura continued. ''I know, you think ' _Oh, that's so generic_ , _there's at least a dozen of those in this town_ ' but here's where you're wrong, my dear,'' she pointed a serious finger at Shay, her shopping bags balancing on her arms. ''They've got the greatest margarita I've ever had and an exquisite pineapple pizza.''

''So you're a fan of pineapple pizza?'' Shay said with a side smile.

''I wasn't for my whole life, but someone got me to try this restaurant's pineapple pizza and damn girl, it changed my whole vision of the thing,'' Allura giggled, then stopped suddenly.

Shay avoided running into her at the last second.

''It's here,'' Allura showed the restaurant in front of them.

They got in, sitting at a table with a bench so they could put all their shopping bags somewhere. Allura got Shay to taste the pineapple pizza, which was in fact exquisite, and they both shared a dessert at the end of the meal. They split the bill, after Shay insisted that she had enough to pay her half. They then headed back to the car, both in a comfortable silence as Allura drove back to the campus.

Once back on the Academia's grounds, they walked towards the dorm buildings part of the campus, Allura suggesting to go to Shay's first because it was closer. Ten minutes after, they arrived in front of the building number 3.

''I hope you had a great time,'' Allura smiled, turning to face Shay.

Shay nodded her head, staring back at Allura. She looked into her blue eyes, momentarily mesmerized. She then leaned in and pressed her lips lightly against Allura's, closing her eyes as she did so.

The kiss ended as quickly as it started, and when Allura opened her eyes, Shay was already gone in the building.

 

* * *

 

 

''Finally awake, you lazy fuck?''

Shiro stared at his brother, scratching his jaw. He still had pillow traces on his cheek.

''Was it fun, playing dolls with Allura?'' he snapped back.

Keith made a gagging sound.

''You know, I love Allura. She's like a big sister to me. But that?'' he sighed, running his fingers in his hair. ''You know she makes me wear her fucking clothes to see if they go well together. Who does that? What the fuck, Shiro!'' Keith whined.

Shiro puffed a laughter, hiding his mouth with his hand.

''I have pictures,'' Pidge stated, taking out their phone. ''Wanna see?''

''Of course,'' Shiro smirked, taking Pidge's phone and scrolling the pictures. ''You look cute in a skirt, Keith!''

''Fuck you,'' Keith spat.

''And that little lilac tank top really brings out your eyes,'' Pidge added, earning another ''Fuck you'' from Keith.

Both Shiro and Pidge burst out laughing, pointing the pictures and laughing even more, commenting the outfits jokingly.

''I'm out of here. Bye,'' Keith left the room, taking his wallet and leaving the apartment.

He went to the elevator, groaning when he saw the 'Out of order : Please use stairs' sign on the closed metallic doors. He headed for the stairs, descending them two by two. Once outside the building, he walked to the food court, admiring the earthy tones of the nature around him.

When he got in the food court, he barely managed to get to his favorite stand before the intercom got turned on. There was statics for a second or two before the Academia's ringtone rang loudly in the huge building.

'' _Please, listen up, students,_ '' the voice spoke clearly. '' _I have an announcement to make._ ''

Keith looked around, wondering who the hell was talking and why the fuck were they saying their message in the food court at 6PM. Everyone around him had stopped moving, listening to the message curiously.

'' _The floor is lava, you little shits._ ''

Keith didn't even have time to proceed what was happening that people around him started running around and screaming excitedly, jumping on tables, chairs, flower pots or servicing counters. The voice in the intercom was counting down, clearly holding back giggles.

'' _I see you, blonde girl with green hoodie. A restaurant's floor is still the floor._ ''

Keith had none of this, and he just returned to walking to his favorite stand.

'' _Well, I tell you, you did a great job Voltron Academy. Except for the girl in the green hoodie… and you, close to the McDonalds, wearing a red shirt and weird puffy hair._ ''

Keith felt people looking at him, which led to him staring down at his red shirt. He glared at anyone who dared laughing, his cheeks turning red from the attention he had. He hated having attention on himself.

'' _Have a nice afternoon, people._ Hasta la _later!_ ''

After people went back to normal, Keith got to the stand he was looking for and bought himself a huge triple-chocolate pastry. He went back outside, searching for a vacant bench to sit on. Once he found one, he sat on it heavily and started eating the still warm pastry. The sweetness of the chocolate made his eyes roll back in his skull.

''You look like you're enjoying yourself here,'' a voice came from beside him.

Keith opened his eyes quickly, looking at the other person on the bench. It took him a second or two to associate the dark skin and bright blue eyes to the guy from the library. The boy was smiling widely, teeth white and perfectly aligned. _Stop staring at his mouth, you weirdo,_ Keith looked away, munching on his pastry.

''Does that bother you?'' the guy asked, losing his smile. ''That I'm here? I just want to catch my breath. Won't be long.''

Keith's eyes trailed from the boy's face to his clothes. He wasn't wearing sportswear and didn't look breathless at all. The boy only looked slightly nervous, glancing around them as if he was being chased. Keith took another bite of his pastry, shaking his head slightly.

''Coolio,'' the boy's smile came back in all its glory. ''Were you in the food court earlier?''

Keith was too focused on looking at the guy's — perfect — face to notice he was talking to him. The tanned boy snapped his fingers inches away from Keith's face, making him jump and come back to Earth.

''You know, when there was 'the floor is lava','' the boy made the quotation marks with his pointer fingers.

_His nails are painted blue._

''Oh,'' Keith swallowed the bite he was chewing on. ''I was there.''

The boy wrinkled his nose cutely. _He has freckles all over his cheeks and nose._

''You're the guy in the red shirt!'' he stated, giggling.

_Oh God, no one should be looking that cute giggling._

''You're the only one who didn't play,'' the boy then pouted sadly. ''What a party pooper.''

Keith's jaw dropped.

''I am not a party pooper!''

''Hmm hmm, you are,'' the boy gestured dramatically. ''Everyone has fun playing the floor is lava, and then you come by and ruin it.''

''I didn't ruin anything!'' Keith exclaimed, feeling personally attacked.

The boy's eyes were shining mischievously, as if he enjoyed making Keith upset.

''Whatever helps you sleep at night,'' he shrugged, a smirk stretching his lips.

Keith's cheeks were probably redder than they've ever been. Who does this boy think he is?

''I just don't enjoy playing children's games,'' Keith retorted, putting emphasis on the word 'children'.

''Like I said,'' the boy didn't seem offended one bit. ''Party pooper,'' he sing-sang.

''I-I'm not a party pooper,'' Keith stuttered out, feeling his neck flushing as much as his cheeks.

The boy laughed cutely, Keith freezing on the spot. He felt like he was in an emotional rollercoaster; his poor heart was beating twice as fast as it ever beaten.

''I'm just messing with you, _chico lindo_ ,'' he winked.

 _He fucking winked_ , Keith gulped. Then he realized that the boy probably insulted him in a foreign language, so he squinted his eyes suspiciously. He didn't even have time to reply something as salty as he felt that there was suddenly shouts from behind them. Keith looked around and spotted a few security guards running towards them.

''Oh shit,'' the boy whispered.

Keith didn't have time to look back at him that he was running away, shouting one last ''See ya, _chico lindo_!'' before sprinting as fast as he could. Keith watched as the much older security guards tried to keep up with him, but the boy and his infinitely long legs was gracefully trotting far, far away.

The dark-haired boy then looked down at his pastry, which was slowly melting in his hands. What the hell just happened?

 

* * *

 

 

Lance practically kicked the front door of his apartment, getting in loudly with two bottles of Coke in his hands.

''Sup, _asere_?'' he exclaimed happily, closing the door behind him with his foot.

''Hey, Lance,'' Hunk smiled. ''You're just on time!''

Lance shove the two bottles in Hunk's arms, frowning.

''On time for what?''

''Matt was about to order some pizza and you always have specifications for our order,'' Hunk took the two bottles without complaining, only rolling his eyes when he was turning his back to his best friend.

''Oh, right!'' Lance walked up to Matt, who was already on his phone. ''Don't forget to specify double cheese and bacon on only half of the second pizza, and no—''

''No green peppers, no ham, no pineapples and a hellish amount of garlic bread to go with it,'' Matt recited emotionlessly.

Lance smiled widely, wrapping one arm around Matt's shoulders and patting his chest with his other hand.

''You know me so well, Matty B,'' he faked a shaky, emotional voice, which made Matt snicker.

''Okay now go away, I don't need you around when I order pizza,'' Matt shooed him away.

Lance sighed dramatically, leaving the kitchen to go join Hunk in the living room.

''Since it's game night, I was searching for multiplayer games on PS3,'' Hunk spoke as soon as Lance kneeled beside him on the floor, ''but then I remembered that we only have two controllers for PS3.''

''Which consoles do we have more than two controllers?'' Lance asked, looking for games in their immense bookcase beside the TV.

''Uh… Wii, PS1, Xbox 360,'' Hunk recited.

''Xbox One?'' Lance asked hopefully. ''My favorite game is on Xbox One.''

''We aren't playing Just Dance tonight, Lance,'' Hunk scoffed. ''You know you're the only one who can dance here and we won't feed your ego like that.''

Lance whined, saying how unfair it was that he can't exploit his only talent in video games.

''Look for Xbox 360 games,'' Hunk ignored him, plugging in the console. ''Please don't pick that bad Mario Kart replica.''

''Well, pick another console,'' Lance huffed. ''We don't have a lot of games for Xbox 360. There's like a few Fifa, Call of Duty, all games that either me or Matt is completely shit at, and that Ratatouille game we bought for our younger siblings.''

Hunk took a deep breath.

''This is harder than I expected,'' he admitted as he tested if the console was plugged correctly.

''That's what she said,'' Lance smirked, making finger guns in Hunk's direction.

Hunk smiled at that, shaking his head at the immaturity of his best friend.

''We could play Halo, no? I think we have it,'' he suggested. ''Yeah, I bought it a year ago. You're not bad at this one, are you?''

Lance shrugged.

''I don't really remember. We can try.''

Matt came back in the living room, laying on the couch lazily.

''Pizzas are ordered, did you choose games? Or at least a console?'' he asked.

''Yep, Hunk chose Xbox 360 because we have 3 controllers,'' Lance replied. ''But we're not sure for the games because you're bad at all of them and it's hard finding the ones you're the least shit at.''

Matt grabbed the only decorative pillow their couch had — his had mother insisted — and threw it at Lance, who got hit straight in the face.

''You're not fantastic at video games either, dipshit.''

''Okay guys, it doesn't matter, it's for fun that we do game nights, not to bring back the old rivalry of 2011,'' Hunk sighed.

''It's easy for you to say, you're the best at all of those games!'' Matt exclaimed.

''Hunk is right, Matty bitty,'' Lance put the pillow and put it back on the couch. ''We should pick a game we have fun playing at, that's why I suggest Just Dan—''

''Not Just Dance,'' Matt and Hunk retorted at the same time.

''I nearly broke my wrist last time because you take it too seriously, dude,'' Matt added.

Lance sat on the couch, at Matt's feet. He crossed his arms on his chest, pouting.

''Alright, no Just Dance,'' he conceded.

''Now, I suggested Halo because it allows us to take the rage off on our enemies,'' Hunk pointed out.

''Okay, I can go with Halo,'' Matt nodded his head.

''Same here,'' Lance cheeped, replacing strands of hair behind his ears.

Hunk was glad they had finally made a choice and he got up to go grab the Halo 4 game case. He put the game in the console, then turned around to face his two friends.

''So, now we wait for the pizza or we start to game right away?'' he asked, tightening his headband around his forehead.

''Pizza should be here in half an hour so I say we start to game,'' Matt offered.

''Alright,'' Hunk handed the two boys their respective controllers — the blue one to Lance and the one that lights up to Matt — before grabbing his and joining them on the couch.

They started a multiplayer game, Hunk being the only player actually helping the team while Matt desperately tried to follow him. Lance gave up trying after ten minutes and decided to explore the map instead, which earned him a pillow in the face multiple times.

''Can't you just help us and shoot the enemy, Lance?'' Matt sighed, being once again killed ten seconds after he respawned. ''I need help! I'm terrible but if you're terrible with me, we'll be less terrible as a team.''

''That isn't logical at all!'' Lance exclaimed.

''Yes it is,'' Hunk groaned. ''C'mon Lance, just come shoot some people.''

''Alright,'' the youngest boy retorted, heading his player towards where Hunk's and Matt's were.

He then proceeded to click repeatedly on every button on the controller, aiming for enemies most of the time.

''I can't shoot you guys, can I?''

They all watched as Hunk's character died due to Lance's mass shooting.

''Well… Oops,'' he laughed nervously. They then heard a knock on the door. ''I'm gonna get it, gimme the pizza money, boys!''

Hunk and Matt emptied their pockets in Lance's opened hands, Lance himself getting a twenty before heading to the door. Once he was out of the room, Hunk turned to look at Matt.

''Do you think he's gonna hit on the delivery guy again?''

''Or delivery girl,'' Matt added. ''And I'm 100% sure he will.''

''Oh man,'' Hunk massaged his temples. ''I mean, he's so pure, why does he think it's a good idea to go after people he doesn't know?''

''He does look good, have a great sense of humor and is absolutely adorable 24/7,'' Matt shrugged. ''I don't understand why people don't go after him, dude. And I certainly don't understand people rejecting him, like if someone as sweet and, let's be true, slightly annoying as him would try to get my number… he'd get it for sure.''

Hunk hummed in agreement, then added ''Your gay is showing, Matt.''

Matt huffed.

''My gay is always showing, Hunk,'' he said dramatically. ''It's part of who I am, I can't hide it. I shit rainbows and vomit glitters on a daily basis, y'know.''

Hunk laughed at that, shaking his head.

''And there's me, with my boring heteronormativity,'' he deadpanned.

''Well, you did have a bicurious phase two years ago,'' Matt pointed out.

''Yeah, I drunk-kissed Lance and he grabbed my butt and I freaked out and shouted 'Never again', which made him cry,'' Hunk spoke fast, remembering shamefully that event.

Matt was about to reply something when Lance got in the room, his arms full of four pizza boxes and paper bags full of garlic bread. He put them all on the small table, making a little squeaky sound.

''Guys guys guys!'' he exclaimed. ''Guess who got the cute delivery boy's number?''

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation :  
> Chico lindo : ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)  
> Asere : cuban term for someone who is a great friend, a close friend
> 
> \--
> 
> Also, here's Shiro's car : https://picolio.auto123.com/03photo/honda/civic4dr-lxsport.jpg I just wanted you to know how hard college life is lmao
> 
> \--
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, leave a kudos if you liked this chapter and comments are always appreciated!! xx


	4. White

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Early update! Hope you'll like it! :)
> 
> I had to do a lot of research for this chapter, I will put the credits in the notes at the end! x

Allura was placing the flowers on the display stand boringly, a random 80s song playing softly in the background. Coran was working behind the store, where he made his plants grow in the Winnebago in the backyard. The Winnebago wasn't even his, he just found it there when he bought the shop. Since no one came to reclaim it, he decided to keep it and to transform it in a sort of closed greenhouse for the sprouts that weren't ready to be sold.

The Walkie Talkie tucked in Allura's back jean pocket biped twice, then Coran's voice echoed in the room along with some static.

''Allura,'' he spoke quickly, with his forever excited voice. ''I've got more narcissi ready! Would you come pick them up?''

Allura wiped her hands on her jean, sighing heavily. She grabbed the Walkie Talkie, clicking on the button and saying a generic ''Got it'' before heading to the backyard. She got out by the door in the back, making sure to leave it open so she could hear if someone got in the store.

''Here,'' Coran was wearing his wide pastel blue sun hat, making Allura mentally wince at his sense of fashion.

She took the box he was handing her in her arms, watching as he got out of the Winnebago.

''I'm really glad that you help me with this shop,'' he smiled proudly, putting a dirtied hand on her shoulder. ''You know, it's been my dream since I was a young little man. I was making fun of at school because I was the weird kid that wanted to be a florist when older, and also because I'm a redhead,'' he was looking at the shop like he was staring at his first born, full of pride. ''I wanted to be a florist because plants and flowers are made to make this world a little more beautiful, whether it's for a date, a wedding, a friend, or even a funeral… it's all better with flowers, Lura.''

Allura smiled fondly at her uncle.

''You achieved your goal pretty good, Coran,'' she nodded her head. ''You're the most appreciated flower shop in this town.''

''It's not like I have a lot of competition,'' Coran chuckled. ''I'll let you go and put these in the shop. I should have another batch ready later this week.''

''Alright, don't forget your dentist appointment at 4,'' Allura reminded him before going back in the shop with the wooden box full of plants.

When she got to the main room, Shay was there, looking at the flowers Allura put on display earlier. Allura noticed that Shay was wearing the dress she bought when they went shopping last Saturday.

''Hi Shay,'' Allura smiled, putting the box of flowers on the front desk.

She hasn't seen her since Saturday, which was five days ago now. Shay turned around to face her, a shy smile on her lips.

''Hey.''

''I didn't think you were working today,'' Allura continued, wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. It was really hot in the store and sweat was ruining her makeup. ''I thought you were only working tomorrow. Did Coran mess up the schedules again?''

''Oh, uh, no, nothing like that'' Shay played with one of her loop earrings nervously. ''I came to talk about Saturday night, actually…''

Allura leaned against the counter, licking her lips absentmindedly.

''Okay, I guess you're talking about the kiss?'' she kept her voice calm, knowing how timid Shay was.

Last thing she wanted was to scare the poor girl who already looked terrified.

''Yeah, about that…'' Shay's voice was barely audible and she was avoiding looking into Allura's eyes. ''I'm sorry… I don't know why I did that.''

''Well… did you mean it? I'm a little confused here…'' Allura trailed off. ''You left right after the kiss, I thought I did something wrong.''

''I'm sorry, I just panicked because it's not something I usually do,'' she chuckled nervously. ''I kissed you because… it just felt right in the moment, you know?'' Shay shrugged. ''And you're very pretty and I've been wondering for a while if I had a…'' she blushed violently, ''a crush on you, but turns out I really like you… as a friend.''

Allura looked surprised for a second, her eyebrows raising high on her forehead before going back to their original position. She thought she had a crush on Shay too, until she realized that she was just feeling lonely.

''Oh,'' she blurted out. ''I was scared that you had feelings for me. Well, not scared, but like…'' she took a second to find the right words. ''You're an amazing friend, but I don't see us that way, so when you kissed me I wondered if I read our relationship all wrong.''

Both girls were blushing, Shay still shyly avoiding Allura's stare.

''I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that…'' she crossed her arms on her chest. ''Did I fuck it up?''

''Of course not,'' Allura's smile was back on her lips. ''It was just a kiss, let's just say that it sealed our friendship.''

She took Shay in her arms, hugging her tightly.

''Don't worry about it, Shay baby, we're still friends and we're still going shopping whenever we can,'' she winked, making Shay smile.

''Good,'' Shay was still blushing, but she didn't have that anxious expression on her face. ''Now, I'm glad that I cleared this up, I wasn't able to sleep correctly because of that…''

Allura cooed, reassuring her that she didn't mess up anything while stroking her back softly.

''Okay, well, I have to go now,'' Shay said, looking at the clock on the wall. ''Tell Coran I said hi, and… I'll see you soon.''

''Bye bye,'' Allura kissed her cheek gently. ''Have a nice day.''

Shay left the store, the little bell ringing as the door closed behind her. Allura was staring at the door, feeling like there was a weight off her shoulders. She then heard Coran arrive behind her. She wanted to ask him how much of the conversation he just heard but he answered that question before she even asked it.

''Well,'' Coran said, looking at the door too, ''that was gay.''

 

* * *

 

 

''Is that really the English notes for one semester only?'' Pidge asked quietly, staring at the two notebooks full of scribbled notes Hunk was handing them.

''Yeah… Iverson gets all offended when you don't take every part of the lesson on paper,'' Hunk had an apologizing look on his face. ''I would've suggested you to use Lance's notes instead of mine because he writes down only what he judges to be important, but truth is he didn't take everything important in his notes.''

Pidge glanced at Lance for a second. The boy was listening to his music and reading a textbook with a concentrated frown on his face. Pidge was sure everyone in the whole floor could hear his music, it being the only constant sound in the library.

''How do I know what's important? I'm sorry but I don't wanna rewrite two whole notebooks worth of notes if there's useless stuff.''

''I already highlighted what was important in yellow,'' Hunk opened one notebook to show Pidge the yellowed part of the pages. ''If you need help with anything or if there's something you don't understand, just ask me or Lance. I'm better with literature while he excels at grammar and with writing essays.''

''Okay, thanks Hunk,'' Pidge smiled lightly before taking Hunk's notebooks and their own.

They grabbed a pen, taking a deep breath, then proceeded to read the highlighted notes and try to reword them so they could memorize the notes better.

''Hey, Hunkyboo,'' Lance whispered loudly, poking his best friend's arm with his finger, ''could you help me study?''

Hunk lifted his gaze from his book, sighing when he saw Lance's pleading eyes. One day he will be able to resist them. Today was not that day.

''Alright, what subject?'' he asked, making sure to put his bookmark in his book before closing it.

''Art history,'' Lance slid his loose sheets full of notes as well as his textbook to Hunk, smiling widely.

''Okay,'' Hunk took the pile of papers and the book, staring at them and not knowing what to do with them. ''You want me to ask questions or read your notes out loud?''

Lance took his headphones off, turning off his music and putting his phone away.

''Could you try to ask questions, please? This way I'll have a challenge and won't get distracted,'' he played with his hair a little, twisting one strand around his fingers. ''Please?''

''I can try,'' Hunk nodded, taking a look at Lance's notes. ''I'm gonna do it by… eras, is that okay?''

Lance nodded his head twice, his concentrated frown coming back on his face.

''Okay,'' Hunk grabbed one particular sheet of notes, ''what is the Bronze Age?''

''Uh…'' Lance stared at nothing for a few seconds, trying to pry the information out of his brain. ''It's a period of time… where people… mostly South Asia, East Asia and Europe… used bronze as a form of art in pottery, sculpture and in creation of monuments.''

Hunk stared at what Lance had written on the sheet, then nodded his head, smiling proudly.

''One on one!'' he exclaimed as loud as politely correct in a library. ''Next question: what was the Egyptian contribution to art?''

''Pffff, easy,'' Lance smirked. ''Egyptian art influenced a lot of later art and is the only nation that had so well preserved art, like in the pyramids or the murals.''

''Correct,'' Hunk flipped two pages over, then looked at Lance. ''How much do you want to study today? We can't do all these sheets in one studying session, we're both going to die.''

''You can stop at Renaissance, and we'll do the rest another day,'' Lance went through his notes, trying to find the Renaissance ones so they'll know where to stop. ''Right here.''

Hunk looked at the dozen of sheets in his hands.

''That's still a lot, Lance.''

''I appreciate your concern, Hunk, but I really need to know this shit before Friday,'' Lance ran his fingers into his hair, untangling a knot there.

''Okay, but I don't want you to overexert yourself,'' Hunk sighed, defeated.

He was about to ask another question to his best friend when Pidge pulled at his sleeve.

''I don't understand what you wrote here,'' they pointed a paragraph of yellowed notes.

''Oh,'' Hunk read the paragraph quickly. ''Basically it's the steps to write a perfect essay, in Iverson's opinion. Like, intro and thesis, development paragraphs and conclusion.''

''Oh, okay,'' Pidge nodded their head. ''Thanks, Hunk.''

''No problem,'' Hunk smiled softly, then brought his attention back on Lance. ''So, ready for next question?''

''I'm as ready as a wet spaghetti,'' Lance said fiercely.

Pidge snorted at that and Hunk rolled his eyes, a playful smile on his lips.

''Which art culture had a massive impact on Roman and Greek art during the sixth century?''

Lance stared at Hunk blankly.

''Eh… is it like Estrusian? Estusan? I don't know how to say it,'' Lance was waving one hand around, visibly pissed.

''You're close enough so I know you know what you're talking about,'' Hunk chuckled softly. ''It's Etruscan, E-t-r-u-s-c-a-n.''

''I'll try to remember that,'' Lance huffed, crossing his arms while leaning back on his chair. ''Next question, go!''

''Tell me the different cultures in Classical-Era art.''

Lance took a deep breath, holding four fingers in front of him.

''There's Etruscan art,'' he pointed one finger, ''Roman art,'' second finger, ''Greek art,'' third finger, ''and Celtic art,'' fourth finger. ''There's more, but these are the ones I memorized.''

''Well, these are all correct so you're doing great, buddy!'' Hunk tried to encourage him, knowing how it doesn't take much to discourage Lance. ''Now, same thing than last question but with medieval art.''

''Well, there was mostly religious art: Christian art, Byzantine art, Carolingian art and Gothic art,'' Lance hesitated. ''Again, there's probably more, but my brain has a maximum capacity and I reached it about six years ago.''

Hunk nodded his head sympathetically.

''You got all these right, still,'' he made sure to point out that Lance was correct yet again. ''What kind of art did Vikings create?''

''Mostly tools and useful artifacts as well as some metallic shit.''

''Please do not say 'metallic shit' in any of your exam, Lance,'' Hunk smirked. ''Say 'metalwork' instead, same meaning but different connotation.''

Lance sighed, muttering ''I'm not sure you're using that word right but okay.''

''I think we should stop here, Lance,'' Hunk offered. ''We could continue tonight after dinner. Study from Prehistoric art to Renaissance again to make sure you retained what was most important.''

''Good idea, Hunk, I'm tired of that _carbon_ of a subject,'' he spat out. ''And yes, I know that doesn't mean anything.''

Hunk laughed lightly, making his best friend smile again. He then replaced the loose sheets in a neat pile and handed them plus the textbook back to Lance. The brown-haired boy took them and carefully shoved them back in his bag.

''I was thinking about something the other day,'' he started talking, tapping his pointer finger on the wooden surface of the table, ''and I think we should invite Pidge to our Game Nights™.''

Pidge raised their head to look at Lance.

''Did you just say the '™' out loud?''

''I believe I just did,'' Lance nodded his head once, firmly.

''Holy shit, I'm in,'' Pidge closed Hunk's notebook, leaning against the table.

''You don't even know what our Game Night is,'' Hunk frowned.

Pidge shrugged, as if it wasn't important to know that.

''Lance's an incarnated meme, how could I refuse?'' they joked. ''But what is this 'Game Night'?'' they mimicked the quotation marks with their fingers.

''Basically it's just Lance, Matt and I,'' Hunk started explaining, then quickly added, ''and now you too, playing video games on Wednesday nights every week. Also, we order takeout and buy snacks on a communal budget.''

''So basically there's food, video games, and opportunities to own my brother at a variety of games? I'm so in,'' Pidge smirked mischievously.

Lance exclaimed a loud ''Yes'' before high-fiving Pidge.

''Thanks for inviting me, by the way,'' Pidge smiled. ''So it's every Wednesday?''

''Yep, you can come to our dorm between 5PM and 6PM,'' Hunk got out his phone. ''There should be someone there, whether it's me or Matt.''

''Matt or me, Hunk,'' Lance corrected his best friend, shaking his head dramatically.

''Anyway,'' Hunk gave Lance the Glare™, ''maybe we could exchange our phone numbers so we could text you, just in case.''

Pidge nodded their head, murmuring a soft ''Okay'' before getting out their phone and reciting their number to Hunk. The tallest boy then proceeded to text that phone number to Lance — the guy's lazy as hell — and saved it under Pidge's contact.

''Now, I have to go,'' Hunk informed both people at the table, standing up. ''I have to go to the lab before it closes.''

''Alright, have a good time with your other friends, Hunk,'' Lance said, faking to be hurt. ''I guess since I can't use a computer for my life and Pidge here has 70s hacker vibes we aren't enough for you anymore.''

''Lance, you know you will always be my one and only bro,'' Hunk replied, faking a trembling voice. ''You're the world bestest bro.''

''Bro,'' Lance sniffed, wiping a nonexistent tear from his eye.

Pidge was witnessing the exchange quietly, already regretting accepting to pass more time with these two dorks.

''Okay,'' Hunk laughed. ''See ya tonight, Lance, and see ya soon, Pidge. Oh, and you can keep these textbooks for the rest of the day.''

Hunk grabbed his bag and left his two friends at the table.

''Let's just hope I'll never witness something like that ever again,'' Pidge sighed.

''Honey, this is just the surface of Hunk and I's beautiful bromance,'' Lance giggled.

Pidge made a gagging sound, then laughed at Lance's hurt face.

''I'm joking,'' they reassured him. ''Just don't call me honey ever again.''

''Okay, sweetheart,'' Lance said innocently.

Pidge gave up arguing with Lance, mostly because they knew they would lose. Both Lance and them then got back at what they were doing before, Lance at studying and Pidge at writing their notes. They stayed in a peaceful silence for about ten minutes, until Pidge noticed a faint background sound.

''Do you hear that?'' they asked Lance quietly.

''Hear what?'' Lance frowned.

''Listen, it's like music or something.''

Lance frowned even more, keeping quiet to listen carefully.

''That's violent music,'' he commented once he heard it.

''Wait,'' Pidge whispered. ''I know this song.''

They looked in the direction of the sound, which was behind Lance.

''I fucking knew it,'' they grinned in a way that reminded Lance of demons in horror movies.

Without explained any further, Pidge left the table and went to see who was listening to the music. Lance didn't want to see the awkward situation so he just pretended to be really interested by his textbook. Thirty seconds later, Pidge was back at the table with a ashamed-looking guy.

''Like who listens to Panic! at The Disco this loudly while studying,'' Pidge laughed.

Lance looked at them, then at the boy. It was the same emo-looking guy from the food court.

''So, Lance, this is Keith and Keith, this is Lance,'' Pidge presented them, forcing Keith to sit down beside them.

''Hi,'' Lance smiled. ''actually, Pidge, Keith and I already met in the past.''

Pidge raised an eyebrow.

''You did?''

''Yeah, he's a party pooper and doesn't talk very much,'' Lance didn't notice how his words made Keith's face turn red.

''Nope, not me, you must be confusing me with someone else,'' Keith retorted.

''Oh come on,'' Lance rolled his eyes, ''I'd recognize that mullet anywhere.''

Keith touched the strands of hair on his neck, pouting cutely.

''It's not a mullet, it just grows that way.''

Pidge cleared their throat, making both of the boys stop staring at each other and look at them.

''Whatever happened before, I don't wanna know, just keep it down,'' they raised their eyebrow to look more serious. ''We're here to study as friends, and note the word 'friend', Keith.''

Keith crossed his arms on his chest, visibly offended, which made Lance snicker. Why did the cute boy also happened to be a complete asshole?

''Alright, Pidge, let me know if you have questions,'' Lance smiled softly before going back to his textbook.

Keith side-glanced him, feeling his cheeks heat up when he saw Lance's adorable concentrated face. _Who stuck out their tongue like that? Why would Lance out of everyone poke his tongue out when he's concentrated? What the—_

''Keith,'' Pidge had this hard warning tone. ''Take a picture it'll last longer.''

Keith ripped his stare away from Lance, who thankfully didn't notice Pidge's comment.

''Seriously, I asked you to come here so you can befriend other people than your roommates. Shiro's scared you'll turn into a sociopath.''

''I'm fine, thanks,'' Keith mumbled. ''Just go back to whatever you were doing, Pidge.''

Pidge gave him an unimpressed look, then went back to writing the never-endings notes. Keith took his book out of his bag, then started reading. Maybe the book will distract him from Lance. Keith started being hopeful when he finished one whole chapter without even glancing up at the Cuban boy in front of him. But then Lance stretched up his back, raising his arms in the air and making the softest little groan Keith has ever heard. Keith stared intensely at the word 'calm' that was ironically right in front of his eyes, praying to every god that Lance doesn't notice his slow, torturous death. Lance's phone then vibrated against the table, Lance immediately grasping it and checking the notification.

''Hey, Pidge,'' Lance whispered. ''Matt wants to see you, for some family thingy or something.''

Pidge looked confused for two or three seconds before having a sudden illumination.

''Oh, right! I forgot about that,'' they pushed their glasses further on their nose. ''This weekend we're going home!''

They smiled excitedly, then put her school effects in their bag messily.

''See you later, guys,'' their waved goodbye at them with one hand, forcing Keith to stay on his chair with the other.

Keith cursed them for forcing him to stay with the hot douchebag that was Lance.

''Shh,'' they whispered. ''Make friends, he's a sweet guy.''

They then left, bag dangling on their shoulder. Lance stared at Keith for way too long — technically it was for about two seconds, but for Keith it was enough for him to die at least four times — before going back to his studying. The concentrated frown came back on his face pretty quickly, and Keith judged it was safe for him to stare at Lance without being caught.

After a few minutes of downright stalking, Keith decided that maybe it wasn't the best thing to do so he went back to reading his book. Lance would make occasional desperate groans or confused sighs, but other than that, he kept quiet. Keith was trying — key word : trying — to stay focused on his book, but every now and then, more often than not, he was looking back at Lance, admiring his beautiful features.

_His beautiful eyes that are so blue and his beautiful cheeks that are chiselled in the most perfect way and his beautiful hair that looks so soft and his lips that are just perfect for—_

''Do I have something on my face or what?'' Lance said harshly after a while, looking at Keith with a suspicious glare.

Keith's eyes went wide, his face going even redder than before.

''N-no, no, I, just,'' he stuttered out, before blurting quickly, ''your eyeliner is really on fleek wow I'm impressed.''

Lance's face immediately softened, a smile stretching his thin lips.

 _Nice save, Keith. No need to hide under a rock for the next 20 years._ Keith felt like he could breathe again.

''Oh, thanks!'' Lance seemed genuinely happy now. ''It's the first time I am happy enough with the result to go out wearing it, y'know?''

Keith nodded his head, but no, he didn't know. But boy the things he'd do to see that smile again.

''And it took me fucking forever this morning, trying to look decent with this!'' Lance pointed his face, exasperated. ''My hands are always shaky and it's so hard to make one straight line, imagine doing two that must be identical!''

''That's nearly impossible,'' Keith commented.

''Exactly! And before, I always used pencil-like eyeliners but they never get the wing right, it's always too big or too thick to be able to achieve the perfect wing,'' Lance was gesturing the whole thing, but Keith's mind kept replaying 'too big' and 'too thick' in loop. ''Then I discovered gel eyeliner and liquid eyeliner, which both saved my life,'' Lance giggled, but then noticed that Keith looked lost in his thoughts.

He stopped talking, putting his hands on his thighs and looking down at them.

''Anyway,'' he cleared his throat. ''Thanks.''

Keith nodded his head, hoping to not look as distraught as he was. _Why did he stop talking so soon?_

''M-my brother wears eyeliner too,'' he said, secretly wishing that Lance would start talking again. That voice made his stomach all squishy. ''It took him years to get it right. In the beginning he looked like those 2007 scene kids with way too much eyeliner.''

 _Wow Keith you never talked this much in front of a stranger._ Keith could hear Shiro's voice telling him how proud he was that his baby brother didn't ''turn into a sociopath'' in the back of his head.

''Really?'' Lance's smile was back. ''And now he rocks those wings?''

''Oh yeah,'' Keith nodded his head exaggeratedly. ''Almost as well as you do.''

If Lance was happy before, now he was beaming. He didn't notice how red Keith's whole face turned, nor how the poor boy seemed to want to disappear.

''Thank you, Keith,'' Lance was smiling so widely, his cheeks would hurt for days. But he didn't care at all. ''Y'know, this morning I was a bit nervous of going out wearing eyeliner because, y'know, I'm a boy and I'm wearing makeup. But now… well I'm feeling like I'm…''

He didn't finish his sentence, instead a blush creeped out on his cheeks slowly, turning them pink.

''I think people should wear whatever makes them feel good about themselves,'' Keith added, his mouth running before his brain even checked the words falling out of his lips.

''Yeah, exactly,'' Lance exclaimed happily.

He was about to add something else when his phone buzzed loudly. He glanced at it, then back at Keith.

''Well, I have to go too,'' he said, starting to pack up his things. ''It was nice officially meeting you, Keith.''

Keith responded with a soft nod, not trusting his mouth anymore. He watched as Lance got up, brushing invisible dust off of his clothes. He didn't want him to leave just yet, they just started bonding! Lance was supposed to be his friend by now, but Keith wasn't even sure if Lance would remember him the day after. _Unless it's for my hair that is totally not a mullet_ , Keith thought with misery.

But then Lance whispered the sweetest ''Goodbye'' to him, and he made that cute little wink that left Keith all melted and flustered on his chair long after Lance had exited the library.

 

* * *

 

 

Shiro looked down at his brother, who was laying on the couch, his head on his older brother's thighs. Keith had come home in a weird mood, slamming the door shut and throwing himself on the couch without saying a word. But now, Keith didn't seem to be able to shut up even if his life depended on it.

''And then, and then Pidge comes to see me, me who had avoided to sit at their table meticulously, and they forces me to join them and their friends at their table because apparently I'm gonna become a sociopath before I'm 25 or something,'' Keith was speaking so fast he was stumbling on his words. ''And guess who was at their table? The same cute boy that loves insulting me and acting like a total douche.''

Shiro was lost, but he didn't let that show as he caressed his brother's hair. Keith had clearly something to get off his chest.

''It's so unfair, Shiro, he's like perfect. Perfect face and perfect body and perfect voice and he's so fucking beautiful, you can't even imagine,'' Keith was staring at the ceiling with despair on his face. ''He has like these bright blue eyes, with eyelashes so fucking long, and his hair is like a dark brown and it curls cutely on the ends and it looks straight out of a Pantene ad, enough to put Selena Gomez to shame.''

Shiro made a noise of acknowledgement, mostly because he knew Keith was in his head and focusing on only his words.

''When he smiles it's like the whole world stops just to start revolving around him because, I tell you, that smile's brighter than the fucking sun. And don't start me with his laugh because that's just the purest sound I've ever heard in my whole life, and I heard a shit ton of cute kitty meows when I worked at the animal shelter,'' Keith's face then lit up. ''I could show you pictures of him, I know his name now.''

He got out his phone before Shiro could warn him about the dangers of stalking.

''Maybe he has an Instagram,'' Shiro offered, immediately regretting it because _Do you really want your brother to turn into an intensive stalker?_

''Probably,'' Keith murmured, ''but I don't have one.''

''You should go on Facebook then,'' Shiro tried, but Keith was already on the App Store downloading Instagram.

As soon as the app was fully downloaded, Keith clicked on it and started making his account.

''What should be my username?'' he asked, looking up at his brother.

''Stalker_Kogane,'' Shiro joked, earning a sharp glare from Keith. ''Okay, I don't know, Keith. My username is just my name.''

''I can't put on my name, he's gonna find me,'' Keith whispered. ''He just knows my first name, tho, so I can put on Kogane, right?''

Shiro shrugged, ''Just write Kogayne, with gay in it, just to make sure that if he finds you he gets that you're not into girls.''

Shiro once again regretted speaking, mostly because everything that got out of his mouth wasn't helping Keith's situation at all.

''Oh shit,'' Keith exclaimed softly, ''that's amazing.''

Shiro closed his eyes, massaging his eyelids helplessly. Keith finished making his account, putting on a generic picture of a band instead of his own face on his profile picture.

''Because I don't want him to find me,'' he explained.

''Putting your face in the half an inch wide profile picture won't make him mysteriously find you,'' Shiro huffed. ''Put your face there, so your friends can follow you.''

Keith hesitated, pouting.

''I don't have any picture of me.''

''Bullshit,'' Shiro sighed. ''I know you take selfies when you're feeling yourself, everyone does. Other than that, there's the picture I took of you when we were in Cuba with mom and dad.''

Keith bit his bottom lip, still unsure.

''C'mon, you're cute on it, I know because I took the picture.''

''Okay,'' Keith said, defeated, before searching for the said picture in his camera roll. ''Here, you happy?''

''Oh, I sure am,'' Shiro exclaimed sarcastically, shuffling Keith's hair playfully.

Keith got into the search bar, typing in Lance's name, then froze because there wasn't just one Lance on Instagram.

''I guess it's too bad,'' Shiro tapped Keith's shoulder softly.

''I just have to find him on Facebook first, then I'll know his last name,'' Keith shrugged, closing the Instagram app to open the Facebook one. After about two minutes of research, he found Lance on Facebook, as well as his last name. ''Lance McClain,'' Keith grinned, proud of himself.

Shiro was just watching his brother, trying not to sigh too loudly to offend him.

''Here, found his Instagram,'' Keith said happily, ''and it's not private, which is not surprising.''

He clicked on the first picture, feeling all giddy on the inside when he saw Lance smiling widely at the camera with Hunk beside him, wearing matching T-shirts.

''Look,'' Keith whispered, shoving his phone in Shiro's face. ''So pretty.''

''Which one is it?'' Shiro asked.

''The one in the blue shirt.''

Shiro looked at the picture, not knowing what to say because, while it was true that the boy was cute, he wasn't exceptionally beautiful like Keith had previously said. Keith took back his phone, looking at each picture Lance had posted with religious attention. Shiro lifted his brother's head to avoid knocking him off before standing up and leaving the living room. He sat at the dining table, where he could see Keith from where he was. He got his laptop from where it was sitting on the table, then went to check his emails.

Ten minutes after, he had read and responded a few emails to teachers or to his boss, and Keith hadn't moved one bit, still scrolling through Lance's Instagram.

''Jesus,'' he ran his left hand in his hair, starting to worry about his brother's clear obsession with the boy.

He decided to play an online game instead of babysitting his brother, so he clicked on the DOTA icon on his desktop and launched the game. After thirty minutes of intensely playing and raging after his cheap laptop, Shiro heard the front door open and close barely audibly. Pidge entered the kitchen, greeting Shiro.

''Hey, what is Keith doing? I greeted him and he didn't even seem to hear me,'' they asked.

''He's stalking some guy on Instagram,'' Shiro sighed, pausing his game.

''Oh,'' Pidge grinned mischievously, not having to say anything for Shiro to know exactly what they were thinking.

Pidge headed to the living room as quietly as possible, looking over Keith's shoulder to see who he was stalking. Their eyes went wide, then they snatched the phone from Keith's hands.

''What?'' Keith exclaimed, jumping around and trying to get back his phone.

He froze when he saw Pidge smirking at him. All color left his face as Pidge stared at the screen.

''What do you have to say in your defense?'' they showed the picture to Keith, keeping their hand far enough so he couldn't grab his phone even if he wanted. ''You're 135 weeks deep in Lance's Instagram.''

Keith considered denying it, but Pidge knew him better than he admitted.

''Please don't tell him,'' he pleaded instead. ''You have to swear to me you're not gonna tell anyone, especially not him, Pidge.''

''Why?'' Pidge raised one eyebrow innocently. ''You don't want him to know that you've been admiring his face on his hundred and more pictures of him?''

Pidge then looked the phone.

''I mean, I just have to like this picture and he'll know,'' they ghosted their finger around the little heart symbol. ''And since when do you have an Instagram?''

''Don't do that, Pidge, c'mon, you'll ruin my only chance I have with him,'' Keith looked so desperate it was scary. ''I'll do anything, just don't tell him.''

Pidge considered the options for a few seconds, then closed Keith's phone and handed it back to him.

''Alright, I won't say anything,'' they conceded, crossing their arms on their chest.

''You have to swear to me,'' Keith didn't let go of it that easily. ''Or even make a blood pact because that's serious shit.''

Pidge laughed, shaking their head unbelievably.

''I won't do a blood pact, Keith, that's so extra,'' they smirked. ''But I swear I won't ruin your reputation to Lance right away. I'll wait for your wedding day.''

Keith looked at Pidge with wide eyes.

''You think I'm gonna marry him?'' he whispered in awe.

Shiro let out an incredibly loud desperate sigh from the next room and Pidge burst out laughing even more.

 

* * *

 

 

Matt looked at the door of the bar, already regretting coming here again. Why was he here in the first place? To find the mysterious hot guy that brought him home last week? To regain a bit of dignity? Himself didn't even know.

He realized he probably looked stupid looking at a closed door, so he entered in the building cautiously. It was around 8:30PM so the bar was at least half empty, the real business hours starting around 10PM. He headed towards the bar and sat on a stool, ordering a rum and coke to the brunette at the bar.

''Here ya go,'' the woman put the glass on a napkin in front of him, taking the ten dollar bill Matt was handing her.

He sipped on the drink slowly, turning on his stool and looking at the few people around him. There was music playing in the background, so faintly Matt couldn't even recognize what genre it was.

''I see that you came back,'' a voice behind him rang clear and soft.

Matt did a 180 on the stool, eyes widening when he saw who was talking to him. He recognized Shiro by his floof of white hair — and his handsome face and his buff body — instantly.

''Oh, hey,'' Matt tried to not look nervous or embarrassed. ''You work here?''

Shiro glanced at Matt with a funny smile, then replied, ''Yeah, I do.''

Matt wanted to facepalm himself because _Of course he works here, he's on the other side of the counter, moron._

''I'm the one that took you home about a week ago,'' Shiro added, a smile never leaving his lips.

Matt's whole face turned pink as he admitted that Lance was right, that is one fine piece of man.

''Uh, thanks,'' he blurted out, wishing he didn't look as stupid as he was looking right now. ''And sorry, that was totally irresponsible of me.''

''Don't mention it,'' Shiro shook his head, his grey eyes staring at Matt so intensely that Matt felt uncomfortable. ''I'm glad that you're better, too.''

''Yeah… well you don't have to worry about me, I came here with a budget this time,'' Matt tried to joke, his cheeks slowly returning to their original color.

Shiro chuckled softly, then he licked his bottom lip slowly. Matt followed the movement with his eyes, and the color was back on his cheeks.

''I wanted to apologize,'' Matt spoke lightly, trying to tear his eyes away from Shiro's lips, ''for, you know, touching your arm and everything.''

''It's okay,'' Shiro brushed it off. ''It was just… unexpected, that's all.''

''Yeah, I bet you don't expect people to just grab your arm,'' Matt chuckled. ''Especially people you don't know.''

''Yeah,'' Shiro smiled, chewing his bottom lip and lowering his tone. ''Maybe we could change that.''

Matt squinted his eyes, leaning against the counter.

''What was that?''

Shiro didn't have to courage to repeat that, mostly because that was really bold of him to say something like that.

''I, uh, I finish at 10,'' he said instead, ''and if you want we can hang out after.''

Matt looked surprised by that, and Shiro mentally cursed himself. _Of course he finds you weird, he just told you that you didn't know each other._

''Oh, okay, sure,'' Matt's lips stretched in a genuine smile.

''Cool,'' Shiro smiled back, ignoring the fact that he just said 'Cool' to the cute nerd in front of him. ''While you wait, can I get you something else?''

''Can I get something to eat? Do you serve food here?'' he asked, looking at the TVs that displayed the menu above Shiro's head.

''Yeah, I mean it's not gourmet but we have like chips, nachos, snacks…''

Matt thought for a few seconds, pushing his glasses further on his nose. Shiro noticed that his glasses and Pidge's were nearly identical.

''I'll take nachos, please,'' Matt decided, getting his wallet.

Shiro took the money Matt handed him, giving him back the change. He then took a bowl of nachos from the food warmer. He put the bowl in front of Matt, the crossed his arms and leaned against the counter, maybe or maybe not flexing his arms more than necessary.

''Thanks,'' Matt started eating his nachos, trying not to look disgusting while eating. ''Do you want some?''

Shiro glanced at his coworker, the brunette doing her job and serving the clients.

''I can't eat when I'm working,'' he told Matt, who shrugged and said a plain ''Okay''.

Shiro then grabbed one chip and shove it in his mouth, the hot cheese burning his tongue slightly.

''You just said—'' Matt started.

Shiro put one finger in front of his lips, then winked at Matt before leaving him and going to help his coworker with the clients. Matt started as he walked to the other side of the bar, smiling lightly.

Matt stayed on the stool the whole time until the end of Shiro's shift, Shiro coming to talk to him or refill his glass every time he could. Matt noticed that every time he asked for another rum and coke, Shiro would put less and less rum in the drink, but he didn't mention it because it was probably better for him that way.

At 10PM precisely, Shiro clocked out then joined Matt in the bar. Shiro ignored the knowing look on his coworker's face and guided Matt out of the building. Matt wasn't even close to the state Shiro last saw him in, which was reassuring. They started walking on the sidewalk, going nowhere in particular.

''It was an accident,'' Shiro spoke quietly, not wanting to disturb the quiet of the night.

Matt looked up at him, looking confused because he didn't know what Shiro was talking about.

''My arm,'' Shiro precised. ''I lost it in a car accident.''

''Oh,'' Matt didn't know what to say to that.

''There was my parents, Keith and I in the car, we were coming back from Keith's karate lessons,'' Shiro didn't know why he was telling Matt that. ''Another driver had a stroke in his car and lost control of it and hit us. Luckily, everyone got out of there alive.''

Matt nodded his head, listening carefully.

''My arm, though, was shattered. It still haunts me to this day, it was horrible,'' Shiro shook his head. ''Keith, being the six years old he was then, thought it was his fault that we got in an accident and refused to go to his lessons ever after. He took it worse than me when we learned that I had to have my arm cut off.''

''I understand,'' Matt tried, because he didn't technically understand but he could imagine him being in the same situation with Pidge. ''How do you feel about it now?''

''I think it sucks that I can't do things like before,'' Shiro looked at his right arm. ''Keith's super protective about this, too. That's why he kinda snapped at you.''

''How much can you move your hand?'' Matt asked, shoving his hands in his pockets to keep him from touching.

Shiro extended his right arm in front of them, bending his elbow a few times.

''I can grab stuff, kind of,'' Shiro bent his fingers the more he could. ''It's hard to be coordinated.''

''Is it okay if I ask questions about it?''

''Yeah, don't worry,'' Shiro reassured him.

Matt nodded his head, eyes shining with curiosity.

''How does it work?''

Shiro smiled at Matt's eagerness.

''It's reacting to certain contractions of my arm's muscles, like if I force in a certain way, my arm will react a certain way,'' he showed his arm flexing as an example. ''I don't have the finest technology, so it's still mostly plastic and electricity. I can't go swimming with it and I have to take it off when I shower.''

''Why didn't you get the more effective ones?''

''They cost so much,'' Shiro chuckled. ''I just took one that permitted me to continue my life with as less impact as possible.''

''How much is it?''

Shiro bit his bottom lip, trying to remember the prices.

''Well, the newest artificial hand costed around ten thousand, and an arm can go up to thirty thousand.''

''Jesus fucking Christ,'' Matt's eyes widened in shock.

''I know,'' Shiro sighed. ''But anyway, I'm glad I don't have just a hook or something.''

Matt giggled softly, which made Shiro smile. They walked in front of a park, Shiro stopping walking and looking at Matt.

''Wanna go in the park?'' he asked.

''Why not,'' Matt shrugged.

They entered in the park by the small stony path. It was a park full of trees where people came during the day to do picnic or to play some sports. At night, it was empty, mostly because there wasn't any other light than the slight smile of the moon.

They walked to the middle of the park, sitting on the side of the fountain. Matt looked at their surroundings, then tapped Shiro's arm repeatedly.

''Look,'' he pointed at the grass a few feet away from them.

Shiro frowned, looking at the darkness. Then he saw them, tiny specs of light moving slowly around.

''Fireflies,'' Matt giggled, before standing up and approaching the area.

Shiro followed him, smiling as Matt tried to catch them with his hands. There was a lot of lightening bugs around them, flying closer to them when they stopped moving.

''You would not believe your eyes,'' Shiro sang quietly, measuring Matt's reaction.

Matt grinned from ear to ear.

''If ten million fireflies,'' he continued.

''Lit up the world as I fell asleep,'' Shiro laughed, then Matt continued singing the song jokingly.

''You got one in your hair,'' Matt reached his arm to brush the bug out of Shiro's hair.

He was standing on his tiptoes, still smiling. Shiro was staring at his face, a blush creeping on his cheeks. Thankfully, the darkness of the night covered it up.

After twenty minutes of goofing around in the park, they both decided to go back home. They headed back to the bar, where Shiro's car was parked. Shiro drove to the campus, then they walked to their apartment building. Shiro accompanied Matt to his door, realizing it was more awkward than he first thought it would be.

''Well, thanks again,'' Matt smiled before unlocking the front door. ''See you!''

Matt entered in his dorm, closing the door behind him. Shiro stared at the door, an uneasy feeling in his guts.

He never wanted to kiss someone this bad.

''Well, shit.''

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translation :  
> cabron : asshole, douchebag
> 
> \--  
> Credits :  
> For the art history questions and answers I used the website Visual Arts Encyclopedia (http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/art-history-questions.htm) and Wikipedia  
> For the prosthetic questions and answers I used this website : http://www.hortonsoandp.com/the-science-behind-how-prosthetic-hands-work/  
> Also, I referenced Owl City's song Fireflies because it became such a meme lately!
> 
> \--
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!! Kudos if you enjoyed reading the story so far, comment what you think, I always enjoy reading your comments! xxx


	5. Red

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's a shitty chapter compared to the others... hope you'll like it tho!
> 
> I wrote this chapter mostly to show the relationships between the characters, as well as to show them in their mundane daily life. 
> 
> Enjoy x

Keith was minding his own business, doodling in his notebook instead of properly doing his homework. He knew coming to the library was the best way to avoid confronting his friends about Lance, but what he forgot was that Lance hypothetically could come to the library. Which he did. Lance didn't only show up fabulous as always, he came directly to Keith's table and sat in front of him.

''Hey,'' Lance smiled.

Keith tried to answer something but all that came out of his mouth was a sort of ''Gnnh'' with a voice way too low for it to sound innocent. That made Lance laugh, while Keith's cheeks turned as red as Lance's sweatshirt.

''Every time I see you, you're in this library,'' Lance said with a mocking grin. ''It's like you're living here. Do you come here every day?''

Keith nodded his head, still looking down at his notebook.

''Ha, nerd.''

''You,'' Keith didn't know why Lance was acting like an asshole with him, but he was tired of it, ''come here every day too, remember? You sit at my table every fucking time. You're no better than me.''

Lance lost his smile, leaning back on his chair. _Neat, Keith_ , Keith mentally facepalmed himself, _insult your crush back, that's how you're gonna impress him._

''Right, woops,'' Lance brushed it off, his smile coming back on his face. ''Guess I'm a nerd too.''

Keith stared at him, unimpressed. Lance's smile faltered a little.

''I am disturbing you, aren't I?'' he looked down at his hands, focusing on his chipped red nail polish.

Keith looked down at Lance's hands too, watching him scratch the remains of nail polish.

''Nah, I'm just not fan of being insulted, y'know,'' he replied sarcastically.

Lance blushed slightly and chuckled, making Keith's heart miss a few beats.

''I'm not insulting you, I'm just joking,'' Lance shrugged his shoulders to ease the tension he was feeling. ''I'm teasing you because that's what I do with my friends, that's all.''

Keith nodded his head once, murmuring a small ''Oh''. So now they were friends…

''Anyway,'' Lance leaned against the table. ''How're you doing?''

''I'm fine,'' Keith knew he wasn't fine at all, his loudly beating heart and his ever-present flush on his face proving the opposite. ''What about you?''

''I'm great, thanks,'' Lance crooked smile appeared back on his thin lips. ''A little tired because it's the end of the semester and I still haven't finished the three projects due in a week.''

''Yeah, same,'' Keith commented.

''You're an art major, right?''

Keith stared at Lance before shaking his head.

''I'm doing a special effects major, I guess in some way it's art, but I'm not an art major at all.''

''Oh,'' Lance was embarrassed, biting his bottom lip. ''I thought you were… you have paint stains on your hands and you're all shady and mysterious.''

Keith looked down at his hands, noticing that he hadn't washed his hands properly and they were still stained with blue acrylic paint.

''Ah, well, that's because I like to draw and paint in my free time,'' Keith mumbled, remembering that the last thing he painted was someone with very blue eyes.

''Cool,'' Lance seemed interested by it. ''Are you, like, a great artist?''

''I like to think so, yeah,'' Keith sassed a little, making Lance giggle.

''Do you post your art anywhere?'' Lance asked. ''Like DevianArt, Tumblr, I don't know…''

Keith shook his head.

''I do art for me, not for others.''

''Yeah, I get it,'' Lance smiled. ''I just wondered if I could see it somewhere or not. I really like art, like going to museums and shit. It's nice.''

Keith nodded his head. Museums were one of his favorite places on Earth, mostly because there were _chef d'oeuvres_ everywhere and people were in majority quiet.

''Well, I'm a majoring in fashion design and cosmetology, so I technically have to be good at art,'' Lance continued, ''but I'm not really good with sketching and coloring. I can come with the greatest ideas in my head but when it comes to putting it on paper, I can barely illustrate my thoughts.''

''I understand, it's the same for when I want to draw something specific,'' Keith added. ''I can never draw something exactly how I see it in my head, it's frustrating.''

Lance nodded his head, sighing deeply.

''Do you have any advice for that? Like what do you do when that happens? Because most of the time I just give up and, like, cry for a while,'' he chuckled.

''Worst thing you can do is give up,'' Keith replied. ''Even though crying might help pass the frustration, you have to think that everybody has the artist block. Just doodle until inspiration comes, or try to transform your design in geometrical form to draw a base and work on it after.''

''That's actually great advices, thanks Keith,'' Lance smiled, then reached for his bag. ''I have to show minimum two sketched designs to my teacher, I'm gonna do that now.''

He got his sketching book and his pencil case, opening the sketchbook to find a blank page. Keith watched as Lance doodled a slim figure, a concentrated and totally-not-cute (at least Keith tried to convince himself it wasn't) frown appearing on his face. When he realized that Lance wouldn't speak again for a while, he put his attention back on his homework. They both worked in silence and for the first time, Keith appreciated not to be alone during his homework time.

After two hours, Lance's phone vibrated on the table. Keith jumped a little, which made Lance snicker. _Of course_.

''I'm working in half an hour, so I have to go,'' Lance told Keith as he packed up his things. ''Thanks again for the advices, I'll get my two designs ready for my next class, thanks to you.''

Keith nodded his head, ''No problem.''

''You're a cool dude,'' Lance added, standing up. ''I'll ask Hunk if you can join us to our Game Nights. If you want, of course,'' he put his bag on his shoulder, taking a deep breath. ''Anyway, I'll come back to you about this.''

''Okay,'' Keith didn't know what to say. What the hell was a game night?

''Bye bye, _chico lindo_!'' Lance waved at Keith before turning around and leaving.

Keith sighed. _Here he is again, insulting me and looking goddamn cute._ He still couldn't help his poor beating heart because of Lance's smile.

 

* * *

 

 

''Did you hear that new song?''

Lance made a bubble with his chewing gum right after asking the question. He was lying on Hunk's bed, still in his work uniform. It was around midnight and since Matt was out God knows where, he decided to stroll in Hunk's bedroom and keep him company. Hunk would probably shoo him away soon anyway, since he needs his full 8 hours of sleep.

''Uh, maybe,'' Hunk frowned. ''There's a lot of new songs, you know. Even more when a 'new song' for you is a song released after 2014.''

Lance rolled his eyes, clearly annoyed.

''I forgot his name… you know, an ex-One Direction member.''

''There's five ex-members, Lance. Be precise,'' Hunk chuckled at Lance's distracted behavior.

''Yeah, well, whatever, it's pretty good,'' Lance connected his phone to Hunk's Bluetooth speaker and put on the song.

Hunk stared at him, how he was the perfect stereotype of the Boy with a Crush™: laying on his belly on the bed, texting frantically on his phone, and humming to the song while moving his legs to the rhythm. 

''What happened with the pizza delivery boy from two weeks ago?'' Hunk asked, knowing his friend well enough to know that the story didn't end that Wednesday night.

Lance looked up from his phone to stare at his best friend, a cute blush tinting his cheeks.

''Well, I texted him,'' he shrugged, faking to be unbothered by the situation. ''It wasn't a fake number or something, which is in itself good news.''

Hunk nodded his head, knowing that Lance received more fake numbers than real ones in the past.

''I didn't even see him,'' he continued, smirking. ''Was he cute?''

Lance rolled his eyes, ''Of course he was. He's Russian or something,'' he crossed his ankles together, smiling. ''We've been chatting since then.''

His phone buzzed in his hands, both guys glancing down at it.

''He also wants to meet me, apparently,'' Lance's eyes went wide.

''That escalated quickly,'' Hunk joked. ''So he's asking you on a date?''

''Nah, he just wants to meet me.''

Lance then looked down at his phone, reading the message again.

''Oh shit,'' he whispered. ''He's totally asking me out on a date.''

He rolled back down Hunk's bed, falling on the floor before jumping back up on his feet.

''That great, Lance!'' Hunk smiled.

''Oh shit I have a date,'' Lance repeated, dropping his phone on the floor.

''You do,'' Hunk laughed.

''Oh my God, Hunk!''

Lance was still shocked, both hands in his hair. He couldn't believe that someone was asking _him_ on a date.

''When is it?'' Hunk asked.

''Uh,'' Lance picked up his phone, checking the message again. ''Shit.''

Hunk watched as his best friend stated pacing around in the room, then the tanned boy left the bedroom quickly.

''Lance?'' Hunk frowned, following him out of his room.

He found Lance in his own room, throwing clothes out of his drawers and his wardrobe.

''It's fucking tomorrow, Hunk,'' Lance exclaimed, grabbing a pair of jeans.

He looked at them, then threw them in the pile of clothes on the floor.

''I have nothing to wear! And I washed my hair yesterday so I can't wash it today and have it newly washed for tomorrow!''

''Your hair's fine, Lance, just wear that blue T-shirt and your dark grey jeans,'' Hunk sighed, searching in Lance's drawers to find the clothes he was talking about. ''You know, the ones with holes in them and that fit you in 'just the right way', like you said yourself.''

''I can't wear them with a blue shirt, it's not gonna match!''

Hunk took a deep breath, looking at Lance, who was now lying down in the pile of clothes.

''Maybe I'm not the one who can help you with that. I'm not the one studying in fashion design,'' he admitted, making Lance groan, defeated.

''That's it, I'm gonna cancel the date,'' Lance whined. ''If I can't look decent, I surely won't show my face to him.''

''You always look decent, Lance,'' Hunk reassured him, even if Lance's melodramatics were kind of getting on his patience. Lucky Lance for being a lovable boy. ''Even when you haven't washed your face and it's shining on its own, even when you get back from your obligatory PE class and you smell awfully bad and your hair looks like a rotten raccoon.''

Lance burst out laughing.

''Rotten racoon? A fucking rotten racoon?'' He repeated. ''Thanks man, it means a lot.''

''No problem,'' Hunk winked, happy to see his friend all cheered up.

Lance got up, putting one hand on his hip and looking down at the mess he made.

''I still got nothing to wear.''

Hunk didn't know what to do to help Lance, mostly because the other person he was close enough to go ask some fashion advice to was Matt, and Matt dressed like he put his wardrobe on shuffle ever morning.

''Uh, maybe you could go online or something?'' he offered.

Lance didn't seem to like the idea. They both stayed in silence for a moment, before Lance suddenly had an illumination.

''Oh!'' he exclaimed, putting on the nearest pair of shoes he found. ''I know what to do!''

Before explaining any further, he grabbed his keys and left the apartment, leaving a very confused Hunk on the doorstep of his room.

 

* * *

 

 

''Are you sure you don't want them anymore?''

Pidge looked down at the clothes Allura was handing them.

''Yes! They're too small for me,'' Allura put the pile of neatly folded clothes on Pidge's bed. ''Try them on, see if you like them! I guess some of them are less like your style, but I think you'd be really cute in that summer dress.''

''Thanks, Allura,'' Pidge smiled.

Allura brushed it off with a swift movement of her hand.

''It's my pleasure, really,'' she said. ''Now, go try them on, I want to see!''

''Wait, right now?'' Pidge blurted out. ''It's nearly midnight!''

''As if you ever slept before two in the morning,'' Allura snickered. ''I'm gonna sit in the living room, come show me when you're ready!''

Pidge nodded their head, knowing they couldn't make Allura change her mind. Allura grinned widely and left Pidge's room, closing the door behind her. Pidge took a deep breath before looking at the clothes on their bed. There were a lot of clothes, mostly shirts and dresses, all of bright colors. They grabbed a few things, searching for something that caught their attention. They picked a white striped shirt, quickly putting it on and buttoning it up. After rolling up the sleeves to their wrists, they got out of their room and headed to the living room.

''I knew you would like that shirt,'' Allura exclaimed as soon as she saw Pidge. ''It really suits you.''

Pidge looked at Allura, then at Shiro, who was pretending not to be there, sitting on the ground beside the wall plug because he needed to charge his phone.

''Thanks, I like it but it's a little too large for me,'' Pidge said, showing the rolled-up sleeves to Allura.

''I can arrange it so it fits you, my grandma taught me sewing,'' she offered.

''Nah, thanks for offering but I'm just going to wear it like that.''

''Okay,'' Allura didn't insist. ''You can go try something else, if you want.''

Pidge left the room to go back in their bedroom, closing the door behind them. They tried a few other shirts, two of them being way so large Pidge couldn't wear them in public without being arrested for public indecency. They kept a baggy green hoodie and a large black sweatshirt. They tried on the summer dress Allura mentioned before, then got out of the room to show her.

''Amazing,'' Allura clapped her hands happily. ''Do you like it?''

Pidge looked down at themselves, making the skirt of the dress twirl a little.

''Honestly, I really do,'' they admitted. ''It's so soft…''

''Yeah, it's partly cashmere!'' Allura got up from the couch to go adjust the dress a little. ''I could shorten the shoulder straps a little, so you don't peek-a-boob a stranger on a windy day.''

They both heard Shiro giggle and repeat ''Peek-a-boob''.

''That'd be nice, yeah,'' Pidge decided to ignore Shiro's behavior. ''There were a few shirts that didn't fit me at all. What do I do with them?''

''I'll send them to a charity or something,'' Allura shrugged. ''Will you keep other clothes than the ones you showed me?''

Pidge nodded their head before listing the clothes they were keeping to Allura. The white-haired woman looked delighted at every item Pidge mentioned, mostly because she liked knowing Pidge would wear something else than their 'Aliens believe in you too' used sweatshirt. There was a light knock on the front door and Shiro got up from the floor.

''Keith probably forgot his keys,'' he told Allura and Pidge. ''Again.''

He headed to the door, unlocking it and opening it widely.

''Sorry,'' Keith mumbled. ''Forgot my keys.''

Shiro raised one eyebrow, crossing his arms on his chest.

''I honestly can't wait for the day no one will be home to open the door and you'll be forced to camp in front of the door.''

Keith pouted, trying to get in the apartment but Shiro was still in the way.

''Get lost, Takashit-bag,'' he tried to push his brother away, in vain.

He heard the door of the elevator open at the end of the corridor and he didn't have to look twice to recognize the cute brunet that got out of it.

''Holy shit,'' Keith used all his weight to push Shiro in the dorm, Shiro stumbling back in surprise.

Keith closed the door behind him loudly, locking it with both the chain and the lock.

''What the fuck, Keith,'' Shiro frowned. ''Was there a killer down there?''

Not a second after, there was a light knock on the door.

''It's him,'' Keith whispered, looking genuinely terrified.

''Him?'' Shiro and Allura spoke at the same time, confused.

''Let me guess,'' Pidge smirked. ''It's Lance?''

Shiro raised his eyebrows in curiosity, while Allura only got more confused.

''Who's Lance?''

''Look, Keith, we can't let him locked outside when he probably saw you get in,'' Shiro said. ''He's probably here for Pidge, right?''

Pidge shrugged.

''I don't know, he didn't text me or anything.''

Shiro sighed, before reaching a hand to unlock the door. Keith placed himself two feet behind Shiro so Lance wouldn't see him when he got in. Shiro opened the door and as soon as the opening was big enough for Lance to get in, the brunet was storming in the apartment.

''Pidge!'' he exclaimed. ''I'm in an emergency, it's really really really important. I really need your help.''

Pidge looked lost for a second, Lance's loud voice was breaking the peaceful atmosphere in the dorm.

''Okay? What for?'' they asked. ''Do you realize it's past midnight?''

''I know,'' Lance whined, his hands moving fast around him as he spoke. ''It's just that I have a date tomorrow and I have nothing to wear and you talked about this beauty guru or something and I wondered if you knew how I could get in touch with her so she and I can save myself and my reputation? Because I'm like this close,'' he showed Pidge his hand, in which he was holding his fingers in a 'OK' sign, his thumb and pointer finger millimetres away, ''to cancelling the date because if I can't look smoking hot then what's the fucking point?''

Pidge was staring at Lance, their eyes wide open as they tried to process what was going on.

''Why didn't you come tomorrow evening like a normal person?'' they asked, taking a deep breath. ''It's way too late for me to deal with this.''

Lance made a little distressed sound.

''You gotta help me save my life, Pidge!'' he exclaimed. ''I just need to know who is that girl you told me about and how can I contact her? That's it!''

''Okay, okay,'' Pidge raised their hands in front of them to tell Lance to calm down. ''First of all, congrats for the date. Second of all, I was talking about Allura. She's right there.''

They pointed the woman beside them, Lance immediately shifting his eyes to look at his savior.

''Hi, I'm Lance!'' he smiled. ''I'm sorry for disturbing you this late but would you help me to find me an outfit that wouldn't make my date run off when he sees me?''

Allura stared at Lance, then at Pidge. She sighed, nodding her head.

''Alright, I can help you,'' she said, watching as Lance's face lit up.

''Thank you, thank you, thank you!'' he smiled widely.

''But not tonight,'' Allura added. ''Tell me in which dorm you are and I'll come tomorrow around noon. Is that okay?''

''Of course, of course!'' Lance was so relieved he was shaking. ''Thank you so much! You're saving my life, I owe you big one, Allura!''

Allura smiled fondly at the ray of sunshine that Lance was. The tanned boy gave her his dorm number, speaking way more than necessary, telling her about his roommates and how one of them was Pidge's brother. Allura replied by a short ''Yeah, I've met him. In fact, we all did'' before suggesting Lance to go get his beauty sleep for the day after.

''Right, sure, I won't bother you all anymore,'' Lance headed towards the door. ''Thanks again, Pidge and Allura,'' he opened the front door, looking at Shiro and Keith. ''Goodnight, guys!''

Shiro replied with a ''Goodnight'' while Pidge and Allura waved back at Lance. As soon as the door was closed, Allura looked at the two youngest people in the room.

''What the fuck was that?''

''Well,'' Pidge spoke before Keith. ''Lance is a friend of mine. We share a class or two and he and his best friend kinda included me in their friend circle. He's really into fashion and makeup, so I talked about how you are amazing with those things. Turns out he remembers and, him being the excessive guy he is, he came to you for help.''

''He does seem a little extra,'' Allura nodded her head. ''But why did Keith lock him out?''

''I didn't lock him out!'' Keith exclaimed, visibly offended. ''I locked myself in.''

Shiro scoffed.

''Keith here has a crush on Lance and he can't face it.''

Keith gasped in indignation.

''How dare you!'' he spat. ''Fuckin' traitor!''

''It's true and you know it, Keith,'' Pidge commented. Before Keith could add something, they continued. ''I'm going to sleep, now. G'night, people.''

Allura and Shiro both replied with a soft ''Goodnight, Pidge'' as Keith ignored them all, brooding in his corner. Allura did the same as Pidge and left to her bedroom, leaving the two brothers alone in the living room. Shiro looked down at Keith, sighing heavily.

''Keith…''

The smallest of the two was pouting, arms crossed tightly against his chest.

''He didn't even notice me,'' he mumbled sadly.

Shiro took his brother in his arms, wondering how everything will end up. He didn't want to deal with his brother being heartbroken again and he surely didn't want Keith to feel that way again.

 

* * *

 

 

The day after, Keith was even more brooding than normally. Shiro frowned when he arrived in the kitchen, watching his brother eat his dinosaur oatmeal with a bleak face.

''Something wrong?''

Keith huffed, dropping his spoon in his bowl and hiding his face with both of his hands.

''It's stupid, Shiro,'' he mumbled. ''I'm just a boy with a crush and it makes me like that.''

''So this is about Lance?''

''It's always about Lance,'' Keith groaned. ''You were right when you said I'd become obsessed.''

''I think it's because it's the first time you've been this deep into someone since your last boyfriend.''

Keith took his hands off his face, leaning against one of them and taking a deep breath.

''We all know how that ended,'' he muttered. ''I didn't want that crush, believe me.''

''I know, no one really does,'' Shiro sighed, going behind Keith's chair and started to play with his hair.

Keith nodded his head as Shiro started braiding his hair.

''Have you heard about the fireflies boy?''

''You know I regret telling you about this?'' Shiro told him. ''I haven't seen him since then, no.''

''Do you even know his name or you just went out with a random guy to have some fun in a park at night?''

Shiro winced, pulling Keith's hair a bit harsher than he previously did.

''Don't say it like that,'' he replied. ''His name's Matt.''

''Another Matt? It's gonna be confusing if you see him again, because there'll be Pidge's Matt and yours.''

Shiro coughed awkwardly, both at the mention of 'Pidge's Matt' and the fact that he'd see him again.

''Honestly, I wouldn't even be surprised if it was Pidge's Matt because you're so unoriginal. Some guy tries to grab your arm off? Better date him,'' Keith continued.

Shiro hummed lightly, glad that Keith couldn't see his embarrassment. Was he so predictable?

''Wait, wait, wait,'' Keith exclaimed. ''Is it Pidge's Matt?''

''Imagine if, hypothetically, it was Pidge's Matt. What would be your hypothetical reaction? Would that be that bad? I mean it in a hypothetical way, of course.''

Keith got up from his chair, turning around quickly to face his brother.

''Oh my God, it _is_ Pidge's brother!'' he shouted, completely in shock and partly proud of having guessed it.

Shiro put his hands on Keith's shoulders, spinning him around and pushing him back down on his chair.

''I can't believe it,'' Keith whispered. ''You went on a date with Matt!''

''It wasn't a date,'' Shiro retorted. ''We just hung out and had some good time, and no, not in that way you fucking perv.''

Keith giggled.

''It's okay, I knew you'd fall for a nerd.''

''I didn't 'fall for him' Keith, stop saying that,'' Shiro whined.

Keith was having none of it and Shiro knew he couldn't make his brother change his mind that easily.

''Does Pidge know you want to woo their brother?''

''Jesus, no, they don't. And I don't want to woo Matt,'' Shiro retorted, his cheeks turning pink. ''I just think he's cute. I don't even know him that well.''

Keith rolled his eyes, even if Shiro couldn't see him do so.

''That can be arranged, you just have to see him more often.''

Shiro hummed, finishing braiding Keith's hair.

''I'll do that if you do the same with Lance.''

''I didn't run around chasing fireflies with Lance, it's not the same thing,'' Keith huffed, crossing his arms on his chest. ''Lance didn't come see me at my job, Lance didn't even approach me in any way.''

Shiro wanted to comfort his brother but Keith spoke again.

''Plus, he has a date tonight,'' he pouted. ''And I'm barely his friend, I only see him because he decided I was his study companion.''

''You can still be friends with him, you know,'' Shiro tried. ''Be there for him, stuff like that.''

''But I don't want to be his friend, I want to kiss him every time I see him! I can't become his friend and have him being in a relationship, it's going to kill me!''

Shiro didn't know what to say.

''And I don't want be the person to make the other fall in love with them when he already is in a relationship,'' Keith murmured. ''I'm not an asshole, if he's happy then it's amazing as it is. But I still want to be the one making him happy, I'm just too late.''

''I think you're thinking way too far,'' Shiro said. ''I think you should become friend with him and see what happens. He's not married, he's having a first date with a guy.''

''It's complicated,'' Keith groaned. ''I hate this. I hate him.''

Shiro sighed.

''It's not that easy, Keith,'' he smiled softly at his brother's childish behavior.

''Well, enough of my shitty and melodramatic life. You have to woo Matt. He called you hot, multiple times.''

''He was drunk,'' Shiro wasn't exactly pleased that the conversation went back to him.

''Doesn't mean anything, he came back to see you, right? Enough said.''

Shiro took a deep breath.

''Like I said, I woo Matt if you try to befriend Lance.''

Keith crossed his arms on his chest.

''Alright, but we're already friends, he told me so.''

''Then try to woo him, too,'' Shiro smirked.

The smaller boy hissed unhappily.

''I have no chance against whoever he's dating, I already know that.''

Shiro knew his brother needed his time to brood and whine about his situation so he could get better after, so he just listened as Keith went on and on about how he felt, how perfect Lance's was and how his life was miserable since he saw those damn blue eyes.

 

* * *

 

 

Nyma entered in the flower shop with her habitual stance, her high heels clacking on the wooden floor loudly. She walked to the front desk, pushing her sunglasses to the top of her head. She watched as Allura came in the room, the tanned girl slowing down when she recognized Nyma.

''Shay's out for the day,'' Allura informed her. ''She had two exams so I took her shift.''

''I know,'' Nyma glanced sharply at the girl in front of her. ''I came here for the flowers.''

Allura straightened her shoulders, not appreciating Nyma's harsh tone.

''You've come to the right place, then.''

Nyma tightened her ponytail, clearing her throat.

''Right,'' she said, softening her voice a little. ''I need flowers that have a special meaning… could you help me with that?''

''Depends on what's the special meaning,'' Allura slid her hands in her apron.

''I need flowers that represent love and stuff like that… my friend's going on a date tonight and he doesn't have time to come by.''

''Okay, I can get that…'' Allura nodded her head. ''What's your budget?''

Nyma shrugged, a mischievous grin spreading on her lips.

''He gave me his card, so it'll be his problem after that. Give me the most impressive bouquet you can.''

''Alright, well, follow me,'' Allura took a pair of scissors to cut the flowers and headed towards the first greenhouse, where most of the flowers were.

Nyma did as she was told, following Allura closely.

''So we have red carnations, symbolizing love, admiration and pride; of course, there's also red roses; tulips mean love as in a declaration of love…'' Allura was letting Nyma pick the flowers, cutting the ones she chose. ''These are the most common. There is also gardenia that means sweetness or secret love, as well as heather lavenders that symbolize admiration and beauty.''

Allura looked at the bouquet in her hands, wondering if it'd be enough for Nyma's likening.

''There's a lot of reds… maybe we can add something of a different color?'' Nyma suggested.

Allura looked at the flowers around her.

''Well… there's yellow irises, meaning passion. Lilies are symbols of purity and beauty.''

''Add those to the bouquet. I think it's fine like that,'' Nyma smiled.

''Great. Do you want me to wrap them up?''

Nyma nodded her head, ''Sure, with your nicest paper and ribbons, of course.''

Allura muttered a ''Of course'' before heading back to the front desk. She wrapped the flowers carefully after putting every end of stems in a small plastic jar filled with water. She then put the bouquet on the desk before calculating the price of it.

''So that'd be $74,49,'' she said, thinking that Nyma's friend would have a hell of a surprise when he'd pay his credit.

She finished the transaction, giving the receipt to Nyma once it was printed.

''Thanks, Allura,'' Nyma smiled. ''And I'm sorry for being a little rude. It's the habitude, I guess.''

''It's okay, you're not the worst client I've had,'' Allura shrugged, smiling lightly.

She saw Nyma hesitated to say something, her blue eyes going back and forth between the bouquet and Allura.

''One more thing,'' the blonde girl added, a blush creeping on her pale cheeks. ''Could you maybe write the meaning of the flowers on a paper for me? So I can explain them to my friend when I'll give the bouquet to him.''

''Sure,'' Allura got a blank sheet and a pen, then wrote the names of the flowers as well as their signification on it.

She gave the paper to Nyma, who took it and shove it in her purse.

''Thanks again,'' she beamed. ''Goodbye.''

Allura watched her leave, thinking that someone would be extremely happy to receive that bouquet that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lance on a date!!!!! But with who? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
> 
> \--
> 
> Website I used for the meanings of the flowers : https://www.theflowerexpert.com/content/aboutflowers/flower-meanings 
> 
> \--
> 
> Thanks for reading, I know it was a late update, but I still hope you liked it!
> 
> Kudos if you enjoyed, I always appreciate comments and constructive criticism!


	6. Grey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 6! This one took longer to write but isn't longer in words... woops. 
> 
> Hope you'll enjoy this one as much as you did with the last one, or even more!

''Welcome to your first Game Night, Pidge Holt,'' Lance bowed down as he opened the front door, revealing the small figure behind it.

Pidge laughed at the gesture, walking in the boys' dorm.

''I brought chips and stole some of Keith's collection of Capri-Sun,'' they exclaimed, Matt shouting a ''YES'' as Hunk took the items from Pidge's arms and put them on the table in the living room.

''I'm happy you could join us tonight,'' Hunk smiled. ''Maybe I'll finally have some competition at these games.''

Lance gasped loudly, ''Hey, I am competition! Bet you couldn't beat me at being the worst player in every scenario!''

Hunk crossed his arms on his chest, raising one eyebrow in challenge.

''Oh, really?''

Pidge joined the boys in the living room, sitting on the couch beside their brother.

''Come on, Hunk,'' they snickered. ''You know he's saying that just so you'll try to be the worst player of the game and he finally has a chance to beat you at it, right?''

Hunk's jaw dropped in surprise.

''He would never!'' he exclaimed, putting one of his hands on his heart.

''Of course I would never,'' Lance added dramatically, throwing his arms around his best friend. ''How dare you, Pidgeon, tell my beautiful boy here that I, a very innocent boy with a heart of gold, would play him like that?''

''Yeah, Pidge, how dare you,'' Matt sassed out. ''It's not like Lance is a manipulative brat who would do anything to restore a little bit of his already damaged ego.''

Pidge snorted out a laugher, hiding their mouth with one hand as Lance looked utterly shocked.

''How fucking dare you, Matthew Anderson Holt,'' Lance put his hands on Hunk's ears as he swore. ''My ego isn't damaged, it's fucking wrecked, dude.''

''That's not even my middle name, Lance, what the fuck,'' Matt laughed.

Hunk took Lance's hands off of his ears.

''What about we start to play some games, we stop insulting Lance, and I order some yummy food for all of us?''

''You always have the best ideas, my Hunkyboo,'' Lance smiled before throwing himself on the couch.

Hunk left the room to call the pizzeria, or whatever food place he was calling, to have some peace while he ordered food for everyone.

''What should we play first?'' Pidge asked.

''We decided to play Wii games for the sole reason that it's the only console we have four controllers with,'' Matt explained, his mouth already full of Cheetos.

''Yeah,'' Lance winced a little when he saw Matt's now orange dusted lips, before looking back at Pidge. ''We have a lot of passive games, such as Wii Sport and Wii Play and any other unoriginal games Wii had made… but where's the fun in that, right?''

Lance stood up to go grab a pile of game cases beside the TV. He brought them back to the couch, showing them one by one to Pidge.

''So I got out all our passive-aggressive to aggressive games, excluding Just Dance because someone gave me a twenty to make me shut up,'' Lance glared at Matt. ''Anyways, we got Mario Kart, Super Mario Bros, Super Smash Bros Browl, Super Mario Galaxy, and Boom Blox, if we suddenly have an urge for smashing some things.''

''These are purely evil, seriously guys,'' Pidge laughed. ''I thought this was supposed to be a chill night, where we would all start up as friends and end up as friends.''

''But where's the fun in that?'' Matt repeated Lance's words. ''Game Nights are made to achieve dominance and prove to others that you're the one deserving respect and power, because you've fought 'til your hands bleed and your eyes cry and your neck aches. This is not a game, this is real life, Pidge.''

Pidge raised both of their eyebrows, a bit concerned.

''You take that way too seriously for a guy who loses all the time.''

Lance snorted, high-fiving Pidge for their comment.

''Hunk and I don't take it as seriously as Matt, but let the boy have his fantasies. They'll never come true anyway, might as well let him dream about them.''

''That was harsh, Lance, even from you,'' Matt mumbled under his breath, crossing his arms on his chest.

Hunk came back in the room, standing in front of the couch.

''Food's ordered,'' he announced, earning a ''Yeepee'' from Lance.

''I think we should play Mario Kart,'' Pidge suggested. ''Simply because I know Matt sucks at it.''

Matt protested a little, but the two others quickly agreed with Pidge, so he went with it. Hunk put the game on as Lance gave each person their controller.

''Hey guys, I just remembered something,'' Lance said as he sat between Pidge and Hunk. ''I wondered if we could invite Keith to our Game Nights too? I mean, he's always alone and have the social life of a slice of bologna, and he's a pretty chill dude!''

Pidge snorted, earning a frown from the three other boys in the room.

''Okay, I mean, he does need friends,'' they stated. ''But I'm not sure you're ready to handle that.''

''What do you mean? He was okay when I met him,'' Hunk tried. ''It's not like he talks a lot, but, to quote Lance, he's a pretty chill dude.''

''Eh, who's Keith?'' Matt asked, but his question got lost in the conversation.

''Yeah, yeah, he's a nice person most of the time,'' Pidge agreed with Hunk. ''But…''

They knew how crazy Keith turned every time Lance was mentioned in a conversation. They didn't know how he would react being in Lance's apartment, on Lance's couch beside actual human Lance.

''But what?'' Lance replied. ''Don't be so harsh on him, he must be sad to be alone all the time! Plus, being lonely can be really damaging to someone, and we don't want Keith to be sad and lonely and depressed, right?''

Pidge didn't know why Lance was all so defensive all of a sudden. Hunk let out a small ''Good argument Lance'' which made Lance's cheeks turn pink at the praise.

''Okay, fine, whatevs,'' Pidge shrugged. After all, they owed nothing to Keith and what Keith needed was a good wingman. Which they were. ''I can give you his phone number, so you can text him about it and everything.''

Lance nodded his head quickly, glad that Pidge and Hunk approved his idea. As Pidge told Keith's number to Lance and the boy saved it in his phone, Matt asked his question again.

''Who's this Keith we're talking about? Is it Pidge's roommate? Like in Shiro's Keith?''

''Shiro's Keith?'' Lance frowned, confused. ''Who's Shiro, now?''

''Are we talking about your Shiro, Matt?'' Hunk asked, as lost as his best friend.

''Matt's Shiro? What the fuck does that mean?'' Pidge exclaimed.

''Wait, Shiro as in the bartender guy?'' Lance said louder.

''The bartender guy as in the fireflies guy?'' Hunk added ever louder.

''Wait, you're Shiro's fireflies guy?'' Pidge nearly shouted.

Matt hid his face with his hands.

''So I guess we're talking about the same Shiro and the same Keith,'' Matt said, his voice barely audible and his cheeks red.

''Why didn't you tell me you were hanging out with Shiro?'' Pidge asked their brother, slightly deceived that Matt would hide such banal thing to them.

''I just… thought it wasn't important? I mean, it was only one time,'' Matt shrugged.

There was an awkward silence, in which Hunk didn't know what to do, Lance didn't know what to say and the Holt sibling just stared at each other in disbelief.

''Well, I'm gonna invite Matt's Shiro's Keith to our next Game Night, is that okay for everybody?'' Lance tried to joke to relax the atmosphere.

Gladly, it worked. Matt's shoulders relaxed as Hunk let out a deep breath and smiled.

''Fine with me,'' Pidge nodded their head, smiling, as well as Matt.

''But we don't have enough controllers,'' Hunk noticed, a small frown appearing between his brows. ''No console takes more than four players at a time.''

''We'll just have to rotate, or share, I don't know,'' Lance offered. ''I don't mind skipping a round or two to let others play.''

''Okay, that's a great solution, Lance,'' Hunk smiled, making his best friend smile back. ''I'm fine with Keith joining us next week.''

''Perfect,'' Lance let out a soft laugh. ''I'm going to text him tomorrow morning.''

There was a knock on the door, which was probably their food arriving home. Hunk asked for food money, grabbing the bills Lance, Pidge and Matt were handing him. He then went to the front door.

''You know, Matt,'' Lance started. ''I think it's funny how we thought we were extending our social circle, like we made friends with Pidge and Keith and you made friends with Shiro… but then they all end up living in the same fucking apartment.''

''It's true that it's weirdly coincidental,'' Pidge admitted. ''I wouldn't have expected you and Keith to get along in the first place.''

Lance gasped, indignant.

''What? How come? I'm the friendliest guy you'll ever meet!''

''While that is true, you're majoring in fashion design,'' Pidge smirked. ''And he has a mullet and wears fingerless gloves.''

Hunk came back with the food, putting the plastic bags as well as the change left on the table. Matt let out a disgusted noise.

''A mullet? Fingerless gloves?''

''And don't get me started about his fucking cropped jacket,'' Lance spat out. ''A fucking cropped jacket! Because who needs their stomach to stay warm and cozy when you can freeze your bellybutton any day!''

''Aw, man,'' Hunk whined, sitting back on the couch. ''That again? I thought this was over. We agreed to not judge people by their outfits, Lance! We went over this already, Keith just has a fashion sense stuck in the 80s.''

''But a fucking mullet?'' Matt exclaimed. ''Who does he think he is, [Billy Ray Cyrus](http://cdn8.whiskeyriff.com/wp-content/uploads/951966-billy-ray-cyrus.jpg)?''

Hunk sighed as Lance giggled, glad to have found someone to pester with about Keith's fashion sense.

''While you're at it, he grew up in Texas too, before they moved in California,'' Pidge added, making Hunk sigh ever louder because he was the one stuck with Lance after that.

''Next time I see him, I must greet him with a nice and cozy 'Hey, howdy, pardner?' because that's just the polite thing to do,'' Lance grinned, making Matt snort with laugher.

''Can we just eat the food? I'm hungry and I want to play Mario Kart,'' Hunk hoped this would stop the conversation.

He wasn't a big fan of talking behind people's back, and Keith didn't do anything wrong to deserve being laughed at that way.

''You're right, sorry,'' Lance noticed Hunk's discomfort, so he opened the plastic bag and started getting out the food.

They all ate with the Mario Kart soundtrack going off in the background, Pidge and Hunk discussing tactics and their scores as Matt and Lance silently wished no one would choose Rainbow road. Once they were all satiated, Lance grabbed all the leftovers, offering some to Pidge so they could bring some to their apartment. Once Pidge kept a part of the food, Lance put the rest in their fridge. He then went back to the living room and sat on the couch, letting out a loud sigh of comfort.

''Before we start a race, I have a question for Lance,'' Pidge looked at the tanned boy beside them.

''Yes?'' Lance hesitated, not knowing if he should worry or not.

Pidge could be really mischievous for a 5 foot 1 gremlin.

''How went your date Saturday tonight?''

''Oh,'' Lance let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. ''Well, it was cancelled a few hours before the actual date.''

Pidge frowned.

''What? As in, he stood you up?'' they exclaimed. ''What a bastard! Allura told me how hard and long it was to find you a perfect outfit, all that for nothing?''

''As much as I appreciate you being ready to fight a dude to save my honour, no, he didn't stand me up,'' Lance smiled softly. ''He had an emergency, his mother or his sister was at the hospital or something and he had to go see her, you know… So I wasn't mad that he cancelled.''

''Plus, Lance still got a date going on next Saturday, so it's all fine and the dude's forgiven,'' Hunk added.

''What's his name?'' Pidge asked. ''We keep calling him 'the dude', does he have a name or he just goes my as 'The Dude'?''

''Haha,'' Lance deadpanned. ''Yes he has a name, and his name is Lotor.''

 

* * *

 

 

''Have you heard about this new series?'' Allura asked, turning her head to look at Shay beside her.

Both girls had spent the whole afternoon as well as a good part of the evening watching movies and series on Netflix. They hadn't moved in hours, cue to the numerous food wrapping and empty water bottles on the floor around them. It was the first time Allura went to Shay's house and she met the whole family. They were just like Shay: adorable, tall and very sweet.

''Maybe, what's it called?'' Shay stretched her legs in front of her, yawning cutely.

''I don't remember the name, but it's very dramatic and tragic,'' Allura tapped her chin with her finger lightly as she tried to remember the name of the series.

''Oh, please, not something that's going to make me cry, please,'' Shay pleaded. ''We already watched 13 Reasons Why and A Walk to Remember.''

''Alright,'' Allura conceded. ''What time is it?''

Shay stretched her neck to look at the digital clock on the wall.

''00:36AM,'' she answered. ''Why?''

''I'm hungry. We should go out and grab some food.''

''It's passed midnight, Allura,'' Shay sighed. ''There's no restaurant opened this late.''

''That is where you are wrong, my dear friend,'' Allura smiled, getting up from the couch. ''McDonald's opened 24/7.''

Shay smiled back at the tall girl in front of her.

''Alright, grab your keys, we're going to McD's.''

They put on their shoes, Allura grabbing her keys and going out in the fresh air. Shay followed her closely, locking the door behind her. They took Allura's — Shiro's — car and headed to the closest McDonald's. Once in, they ordered in the nearly empty restaurant, getting their order almost immediately after they paid. They chose a table close to the window with benches and they sat down with their cabaret. They ate happily, Allura enjoying her sandwich and Shay regretting just a little her salad. Allura was talking about everything and anything, Shay barely participating in the conversation. It didn't bother her, mostly because her life wasn't as exciting as Allura's; she was just selling flowers and going to school. Just as Allura was going on and on about her new way of curling her hair, she stopping talking mid-sentence to point something out of the window.

''Look, a bike!'' she exclaimed, pointing the motorcycle that was entering in the restaurant's parking lot. ''It's awesome!''

''Wait,'' Shay said, recognizing the motorcycle. ''It's my friend's bike. It's Nyma's bike.''

''Does she track you or something?'' Allura sassed a little, watching as the biker took off her helmet, her hair flowing out like she was straight out of an action movie.

''She works here, or at least, she used to,'' Shay shrugged. ''Maybe she just wants discounted food.''

Both girls watched as Nyma entered in the restaurant, completely oblivious to their presence. Allura might've stared a little more to her leather outfit, but that's just because she's a huge fan of fashion — and leather.

''Would you mind if she joined us?'' Shay asked, knowing well that Allura didn't fancy Nyma.

''Uh,'' Allura wanted to say yes, but she wasn't that type of friend, so instead she said, ''no, I don't mind.''

''Thanks,'' Shay smiled warmly, then waved at Nyma when the blonde girl looked around for a place to sit.

Nyma waved back, a soft smile on her red lips. Once she got her food, she joined the two other girls at the table, sitting beside Shay.

''I see I'm not the only one grabbing a late night lunch,'' she chuckled.

''Yeah, we were hungry and this is the only place still opened at this time,'' Shay explained, glancing quickly at Allura, who was slurping on her smoothie silently.

Nyma nodded her head, felling Allura's eyes on her but deciding to ignore it.

''It's cute what you've done with your hair,'' she grabbed one of Shay's long braids, twisting it around her fingers.

''Thanks,'' Shay twirled the other braid as a reflex. ''It's Allura that has done them. She has a lot of weaves and stuff like that so she made my short hair longer and braided it.''

Nyma looked at Allura, her blue eyes shining.

''It's really pretty, and well done,'' she complimented the white-haired girl.

Allura got momentarily stunned by Nyma's piercing eyes, but she managed to blurt out a ''Thanks'' before going back to her smoothie. _Be still, my gay heart._

''It's been a while since I've seen you,'' Shay told Nyma as the blonde girl ate her food. ''Allura told me you went to the flower shop to get some flowers, right? Why didn't you come by when it was my shift?''

The two best friends started talking between them, leaving Allura to stare at them and listen in silence. She didn't mind much, mostly because she wouldn't know what kind of conversation to have with Nyma. Instead, she stared at the blonde girl, noticing every little detail possible. Not that she was doing it on purpose. No, she just noticed how perfectly winged her navy eyeliner was, even at that time of the night. Her blonde glossy hair was perfectly straight, falling over her shoulders all the way to her waist with no imperfection, as if she didn't wear a tight helmet a few minutes ago. Her brows were on fleek, just like her contour and her eye makeup.

Allura really didn't want to stare, but Nyma was beautiful. Actually, she was stunning, but Allura didn't allow her mind to go further. Instead, she looked at Nyma's plump lips, where her red lipstick was slightly smudged at the corners from the food and beverage she was having. Nyma caught Allura's eyes on her face and cleared her throat lightly. Allura seemed to get back from wherever her mind was.

''Are you okay, Allura?'' she asked.

''Mmm, yeah, you're just really pretty, that's all.''

For a second, the whole world was still. Nyma's eyes went wide, as her neck and her ears turned pink. Allura's eyes went wide as well, but in an expression of 'Well, that couldn't have been worse'.

''Thanks, you're really pretty as well,'' Nyma blurted out, suddenly extremely aware of her heart beating fast.

''I mean, every aspect of your makeup and your hair is on point, and it's one AM,'' Allura continued, because why stop when you can make it worse?

''Thanks, but I don't think you realize how gorgeous your hair is, it's always so beautiful and flowy, I'm jealous,'' Nyma added, her blushing intensifying.

''Thank you, but have you seen yourself? I mean, your whole outfit matches and your makeup just had that edgy side to it.''

''Thank you, but I must say that I really really love how you dress up and you do your makeup?'' Nyma all but shouted, her emotions kicking in. ''I follow you on Instagram and I'm a huge fan, I always wish I could have such fashion sense and the artistic talent as well as the confidence to pull it off.''

Allura froze, completely in shock. The two girls stared at each other in awe, as Shay giggled, oblivious to the Gayness™ happening around her.

''Wow, I'm so glad you two have found something to get along on!'' she smiled. ''Maybe we could pass more time together, like go shopping or do our hair, makeup or outfits together? I mean, that would be nice.''

Allura got out of her trance first, trying to smile as genuinely as possible to her friend.

''Uh, yeah, that could be a thing, yeah.''

Nyma broke the eye contact, looking down at her half eaten sandwich with a blush still apparent on her cheeks.

''Yeah, that'd be nice.''

 

* * *

 

 

Matt tried to not be nervous. He really tried. But being alone wasn't his cup of tea. At all. So when he found out that, for the semester, he'll have one lunch per week where he would have to eat alone, he nearly cancelled his whole semester. Lance and Hunk had tried to change their schedule, as well as Matt's, but there was always one time a week where the poor boy would be alone. So he grabbed his wallet like it would save his life, and he headed to the food court.

He had tried reaching out for Pidge, but they were having classes too, which made Matt wonder if Life had something against him somehow. He looked around, seeing an overwhelming amount of food everywhere. He was standing in the main hall, just far enough of the door to 1) not be in the way of people going in and out, and 2) get out quickly enough if he decided to skip lunch again and not be tempted to eat anything there.

He fidgeted with his wallet, felling his anxiety level raise as the seconds ticked by. He was suddenly very aware of the never-ending sound of people talking and eating, as well as the number of people in the room — at least five hundred people under the same roof.

''It's hard to decide what to eat with such a variety of food,'' a voice behind him rang smoothly, making him jump nevertheless.

Matt looked beside him, where Shiro stood nonchalantly. If that wasn't a view to enjoy…

''Y-yeah, I guess,'' was all that he was able to say.

''Are you waiting for a friend?'' the taller guy asked. ''Is that why you're standing there alone?''

Matt looked around him, as if he could potentially see a friend and prove to Shiro that no, he wasn't there alone. That he was actually super cool and had hella cool friends too. But no.

''No, I'm all alone,'' Matt said, still avoiding looking at Shiro in the eye.

''Oh, well, me too,'' Shiro smiled. ''If you don't mind, maybe we could have lunch together?''

After seeing Matt hesitating, Shiro told himself that he could've worded that differently.

''Yeah,'' Matt nodded his head. ''Okay.''

''Great,'' Shiro didn't know why he was so relieved, but he was. ''Now, do you know what you want to eat?''

Matt shrugged, ''I don't eat here very often, so, no, not really.''

They were still standing in front of the main doors and for some reason that bothered Shiro. He put his left hand lightly on Matt's back, hoping that would incite him to start walking towards the stands. Matt's body just seemed to tense at Shiro's touch, so the taller guy removed his hand quickly, apologizing.

''Maybe we should head to the stands? I could recommend some of them to you, if you tell me what you like to eat or was you don't like.''

Matt nodded his head, starting to walk towards the left side of the huge room.

''I'm a picky eater, so it might be hard finding something that I'd actually eat,'' Matt added, then apologized for it.

''Nah, it's alright,'' Shiro brushed it off. ''I understand people who don't like trying new things. It's scary sometimes.''

''Once my roommates forced me to eat crickets,'' Matt shivered, unconsciously walking closer to Shiro. ''Well, they didn't force me to. They just told me it was brown rice and I was stupid enough to believe them.''

''Now, that's a shitty thing to do,'' Shiro commented, making Matt hum in approval.

''In revenge I bought real crickets and hid them in a pot in their rooms. They were searching for the noise for days and weren't able to sleep.''

Shiro grinned at that. The mischief was common in the Holt family.

''I won't make you bad surprise like that, promise.''

''Okay,'' Matt nodded his head. ''What do you recommend me?''

Shiro looked around them a little.

''This stand makes great salads, but don't take the ones with chicken. It tastes like rubber,'' he said as they walked by the said stand. ''This one is one of the three or four pizza stands, and it's the best of them. There's good Thai in this one and the best pastries are there, at your left.''

''Don't tempt me with pastries,'' Matt muttered. ''I once spent more than $20 there.''

''Same,'' Shiro mumbled, quickly passing by the stand. ''There's a McDonald's, of course. Also a Dunkin Donut, but I've never been a fan of it. This stand makes really good cold sandwiches, it's a bit like Subways where you choose what you want it in and everything.''

''Oh, I could go with that,'' Matt said, then headed to the stand.

Shiro followed him, staying close as Matt shyly told the employee what he wanted in his sandwich. When it was time to pay, Matt got out his wallet and opened it, trying to get the exact change. But when he tried to get out a few dimes, all of the coins that were in the little pocket fell around him, some of them on the counter and some of them on the floor.

''Oh, shit,'' he whispered, feeling his neck getting red with embarrassment. ''I'm sorry.''

The employee helped him getting the right change with what was on the counter, being as calm and patient as possible. Shiro picked up the change that had fallen on the floor, noticing the panic in Matt's voice. Once all the coins were back in his wallet, Matt zipped it and took his sandwich, not looking at either the employee or Shiro as they left the stand.

''I'm sorry,'' Matt repeated. ''That was humiliating.''

''Don't worry, Matt,'' Shiro reassured him. ''It wasn't even close to humiliation. Believe me, I know humiliation.''

''How come?''

Shiro took a deep breath, partly to add a little suspense to the story and to hook Matt on something else than his little mistake.

''When I was younger, like 16 or 17, I went to a party. Like frat boy party, with hella alcohol and way too many people in the same house. So yeah, you can picture that, plus teenage Shiro wearing braces and trying to be cool,'' he said, making Matt giggle a little. ''I had never drank alcohol before that night, and trust me, I regretted. Oh boy, did I regret.''

Matt waited for Shiro to continue, but Shiro went to a stand to order some burger. That frustrated Matt a little, even more because he knew Shiro was doing it on purpose. Once Shiro had bought his food, Matt immediately said ''Then what?''

''Lemme start the story at the beginning,'' Shiro smirked at Matt's defeated face. ''I went to this party with alcohol and girls in my mind, alright? I was still in denial of my gay self, so I truly was hoping to get some girl to kiss me that night and to prove to everyone that I wasn't gay.''

They found a vacant table, slightly excluded to the others. Matt stayed silent, waiting for more.

''I went in, spotted my friends in there, and I drank. I drank so much, I can't even remember three fourth of the night. But what I remember, and what witnesses have told me about that night, is what is humiliating,'' he chuckled, taking a sip from his water bottle, keeping eye contact with Matt's wide, curious eyes.

''Long story short, I ended up showing off to some girls. I wasn't showing off my muscles or like, making them stroke my abs — mostly because I was a lanky, unproportioned boy back then — no, I showed off my prosthetic. Now, while we can agree that most people are curious about prosthetics,'' he saw how Matt's winced at that, a smile playing on his lips, ''I bet you don't expect a kid to take his arm off and start waving it around. It ended up with people playing football with it, and I drank some more, and that's where the true humiliation is.''

He raised one eyebrow, Matt immediately replying ''What is it? The humiliation''.

''My mom found me 4 miles away from that house, from any house I should say, in a field, playing in the crops with only one arm, my prosthetic and my clothes all had mysteriously disappeared. I was naked in a field at 5AM, without an arm and so drunk I cried when she tried to take me home,'' Shiro sighed, as Matt giggled cutely, hiding his mouth with his hand. ''I never found my prosthetic, my parents were so mad at me that I wasn't able to go out with friends for the next year,'' he smiled at Matt. ''And that, my boy, is what you call a humiliation. Thank you.''

Matt was laughing hard, still hiding his mouth to make less noise.

''I can't believe that you thought smacking people around with your fake arm would be a great way to get some girls,'' he giggled.

''16-years-old me wasn't really bright, and when you look back, you might understand why I don't have many friends now.''

''You do have friends, you have Pidge, and me,'' Matt smiled, unwrapping his sandwich. ''I don't have a lot of friends either, but they all are good friends and I wouldn't change them for anything in the world.''

Shiro smiled, watching as Matt started eating his sandwich hungrily. He soon started eating too, a comfortable silence settling between them. Every now and then, Matt would lift up his gaze and look at Shiro, who smiled at him every time he caught his eyes. Matt would smile back shyly, then look back down at his sandwich.

''So,'' Shiro spoke after a moment. ''What are you majoring in, again?''

''Biotechnology,'' he answered. ''Which is like biochemistry, genetics and technology mixed up.''

''Sounds complicated,'' Shiro commented.

''I always wanted to create technologies applicable to humans or any form of viable life,'' Matt shrugged. ''What about you?''

''I'm majoring in artificial intelligence.''

Matt's eyes immediately went wide.

''Wait, like robots and talking computers and stuff like that?'' he exclaimed.

''Yeah, well it's way less cool than that actually, but that's the goal,'' Shiro chuckled.

''It's amazing,'' Matt whispered. ''I always wanted to make an intelligent robot, like a robot version of Google, where you can ask questions to it and it finds the most plausible answer to it.''

''That's a lot of algorithms to take into account, I'd say it's practically impossible,'' Shiro frowned.

''Let a man have his dreams,'' Matt smiled, then went back at finishing his sandwich.

Shiro, who already had finished his meal, sipped on his water before suddenly remembering something.

''Hey, I just,'' he exclaimed, ''I just remembered something.''

Matt took the last bite of his sandwich, looking at Shiro with curious eyes.

''For one of my classes I have to go to this conference about artificial intelligence. I think there's going to be creations and a few examples of the newest technologies and stuff like that, you know,'' Shiro explained. ''An exposition of stuff people created with artificial intelligence.''

''Oh yeah!'' Matt smiled widely. ''I've heard about it. I wanted to go but it's too expensive and no one I know can afford it.''

''Yeah, those conferences are pretty pricey and very popular so…''

Matt sighed, leaning his chin on his hand.

''To make sure students would be able to go, school bought each student of that class a pass for it,'' Shiro started, trailing off his sentence. ''And each pass is a two-people pass, you know, so hypothetically I could bring someone with me.''

Matt's eyebrows rose up on his forehead, fully attentive.

''Who will you bring?''

''Well, I wanted to bring my brother, but turns out he's busy that weekend,'' Shiro looked at Matt, who was subconsciously leaning forward on the table. ''I mean, I could bring Pidge, but…''

''But?'' Matt inquired.

''You look really interested in artificial intelligence, so maybe I could bring you instead.''

Matt's whole face lit up.

''Y-you would? Bring me?'' he exclaimed.

''Yeah, sure, you're my friend, right?''

''Oh my God!'' Matt was so excited he was stuttering. ''T-that would be amazing, Shiro!''

''Yeah?'' Shiro couldn't help the smile on his lips. Matt looked like a kid on a Christmas morning.

Shiro grabbed all the wrappings and waste of their meals, going to throw it away in the garbage bin. After that, they got out of the food court, Matt babbling about the conference and what he heard and read about it. They walked to their dorm building, both stopping in front of the main door.

''Could I have your phone number?'' Shiro asked, Matt's head jolting up to stare at the tall guy beside him. ''So I could text you about the conference, of course.''

''Oh,'' Matt nodded his head. ''Sure, here.''

He opened his phone, clicking on the contact list. He then handed his phone to Shiro, who took it gladly and entered his name and number in the contacts.

''Do you have this break every Thursday?'' he asked once he gave Matt his phone back.

''Uh, yeah, why?''

Shiro opened the door, letting Matt enter in first like the gentleman he was.

''Well,'' he followed Matt as soon as he was in the building. ''Maybe we could spend it together? It's better than being alone, right?''

''Okay, sure,'' Matt smiled, heading to the elevator. ''If you don't mind spending all your Thursday lunches with me.''

''Of course I don't mind, I like spending time with you,'' Shiro smiled, pushing the button to call the elevator.

Matt blushed shyly, murmuring a ''Yeah, me too''. Once the metallic doors opened in front of them, they got in silently, Matt pushing the buttons of their floors.

''So yeah, I'll text you the details for the conference,'' Shiro smiled as the elevator stopped at the second floor. ''See you around, I guess?''

''Yeah, sure, see ya,'' Matt smiled back, watching Shiro walk down the hallway as the doors of the elevator closed in front of him.

A few seconds after, he reached his floor. As soon as the doors opened, he sprinted out of the elevator, running to his dorm. He nearly kicked down the door, finding Hunk and Lance in the living room. Both boys were looking at him, slightly terrified. They haven't seen Matt as excited as that in a long time.

'' HOLY SHIT GUYS, GUESS WHAT?''

 

* * *

 

 

''I spy with my little eye, something green and brown.''

Pidge stared at their brother, their face clearly expressing annoyance. But since they had a 3 hours long bus ride to go through, they might as well try to make it as less a pain in the ass as possible.

''A tree?'' they guessed.

Matt nodded his head.

''Your turn.''

''Okay,'' Pidge sighed, looking around them. There wasn't a lot of people in the bus, mostly because it was passed 11PM and there wasn't a lot of things outside either. The bus was currently going through a small forest. ''I spy with my little eye… something leafy and tall.''

''A tree.''

''You got it,'' Pidge said sarcastically.

''Okay, my turn,'' Matt thought for a second, playing with his bracelets absentmindedly. ''I spy with my little eye… something that is very very tiny, that is also super annoying and that shouldn't have a life span as extended as it has.''

''Eh,'' Pidge frowned. ''A cicada?'' Matt shook his head. ''A fly?''

''Nope.''

''You can't see something like that right now, you're cheating,'' Pidge huffed.

''You're giving up?'' Matt smirked.

Pidge didn't look pleased at all, but they nodded their head.

''I'm sure you're cheating.''

''Believe me, I'm not,'' Matt smirked. ''The answer is… you.''

Pidge hit Matt behind the head, swearing at him.

''You fucker,'' they groaned. ''My turn, then. I spy with my little eye, something that is very very gay, that can't face his crush about my friend's super hot brother and that turns as red as a fucking lobster cooked by Gordon Ramsey every time he thinks about said brother's ass.''

As to prove Pidge's statement, Matt's face turned completely red.

''I-I don't!'' he exclaimed. ''I'm not— I just— shit.''

Pidge cackled proudly, ''Well, you've guessed it, it's you.''

''Fuck you, I'm not like that,'' Matt protested, crossing his arms and looking out the window.

''Okay, okay, sorry,'' Pidge patted Matt's arm softly. ''You know I'm joking. I think it's cute that you have a crush on him.''

Matt uncrossed his arms, waving them around him.

''First, no, no crush, can't be a crush because I don't know him that well,'' he said quickly.

''C'mon, Matt, he asked you out on a date! To the conference! He chose to go with you instead of anyone else. That means something.''

''He only asked because no one else could,'' Matt muttered. ''Don't give me false hopes.''

Pidge sighed.

''It's not false hopes. He was supposed to go with Keith but then he asked Keith if he could cancel to go with you,'' they didn't give up. They wanted Matt to know that Shiro wanted to spend some time with him, and that Matt wasn't just his last choice. ''Shiro really wants to be your friend, trust me.''

Matt pouted, his eyes still uncertain.

''He's my friend too, I know what I'm talking about,'' Pidge added.

''Yeah,'' Matt's shoulder relaxed. Pidge cared about him and they wouldn't say something that would lead him on. ''I'm glad that you made friends this time.''

Pidge nodded their head.

''I'm glad too. I'm feeling better now that I'm living with other people and that they are my friends, and they're good friends too,'' they smiled, leaning their head against Matt's shoulder. ''I like it there. I have you living close, and I've made friends with Hunk and Lance, who are both super sweet and really funny. And there's Keith, who's weirdly amazing in his own emo way—''

''The Texan boy, right?''

''Yeah,'' Pidge laughed softly. ''Allura's really nice too, even if she can be really intense sometimes… Once she came back home around midnight with three kittens, and since I'm allergic and the Academy doesn't accept animals in the dorms—''

''Except assistance animals, like dogs,'' Matt cut Pidge off again.

Pidge didn't even mind.

''Yeah, except those ones,'' they nodded their head. ''So we had to take the kittens back where she got them, but turns out she found them on the highway so we took care of the baby cats before bringing them to a shelter the next day.''

''Allura's the girl that helped out Lance the other day, right?''

''Yep, that's her,'' Pidge yawned silently after that. ''And there's Shiro too, of course.''

''Of course,'' Matt nodded understandably.

''He's like the Mom Friend™ and the Dad Friend™ combined, which is in itself a pretty big deal to deal with. But he's also super cool, like a cool uncle?''

''Dude's the whole family at once,'' Matt joked.

Pidge laughed at that.

''Anyway, did you get news from Lance?'' they asked. ''Tonight was his date, right?''

Matt checked his phone quickly. No notification from Lance.

''Yeah, he was so nervous he got ready three hours before the date,'' he chuckled. ''But it looks like it's going well, since his date's not over yet and he hasn't texted me that his life was over.''

''He can be so dramatic sometimes…''

Matt nodded his head. Lance was dramatic all the time.

''He's probably getting it by the time we're talking right now.''

''You think he's getting _it_ on the first date?'' Pidge asked curiously.

''Well, yeah, I mean… who wouldn't want to kiss him?''

Pidge stared at their brother, not knowing if he was joking or not.

''Matt, 'it' usually means sex when you say it in a sentence like that.''

Matt's eyes went wide in pure terror.

''What? You think Lance would have sex with someone he barely knows?'' he exclaimed way too loudly for the quiet bus they were in. ''I hope he's using protection. That can be really unsafe. What if he catches a STD?''

''I think Lance's wise enough to use protection of he ever gets to do the do with someone,'' Pidge reassured him. ''Plus, I think he's way too nervous to do something this bold on a first date.

''You're right,'' Matt conceded as Pidge laid their head back on his shoulder. ''I hope he's having a great night. He always dreamed of finding his true love, I don't want him to be sad.''

''Me neither…''

Matt leaned against Pidge's head. In a little more than two hours, they would be back in their cozy little home and he'll be able to get some good sleep. For now, he just watched the sky through the window, counting down the stars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yep! Lance got a date with... Lotor! Out of every people!  
> Because who wouldn't fall with someone named Lotor lmao
> 
> What do you guys think of Allura/Nyma as a probable couple? Such an interesting chemistry between them... ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) 
> 
> \--
> 
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Kudos if you did, comments and constructive criticism are always appreciated! Thank you!<3


	7. Hazel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter only has two parts... but is by far the longest I've ever written!
> 
> Hope you'll like it!!

Lance, Hunk and Keith were at the library, sitting at their usual table. Hunk was on his laptop, wearing headphones and probably watching one of his favourite Netflix show. Keith was showing Lance techniques on how to draw properly with different types of pencils, pens or paints, Lance listening carefully to what he was saying.

''So, yeah, you gotta be careful with inking pens because cheap ones can spill and ruin your whole work if you don't pay attention,'' Keith said, showing Lance some of his inking pens.

''And we don't want that,'' Lance scoffed. ''How much do good pens cost?''

''Well, these ones were like… less than $4 each.''

Lance whistled loudly.

''Do I look like I have this kind of money?''

''Lance, you really just have to buy one,'' Keith sighed. ''This one's like $2 if you buy it online.''

''Then I have to pay shipping, but if I buy for more than $25 I get free shipping so I end up spending $100 on stuff I'll never need and I'll think it's a great deal because, hey, free shipping!''

Keith closed his eyes for a second. _Patience yields focus._

''Then go in stores and buy one for, like, three bucks and live a debt-free, happy life.''

Lance whined sadly, crossing his arms on his chest and looking at Keith with his saddest puppy eyes. Keith stared back, unimpressed. He couldn’t let Lance get away with whatever he wanted this early in their friendship, otherwise Keith was gone. It wasn't until Lance's bottom lip started quivering that Keith gave up.

''Fine,'' he groaned, searching in his pencil case for one pen to give Lance. ''A 0.3 would do the job, since you don't have to do much lineart anyway.''

Lance literally chirped when Keith handed him a pen, taking it with one hand and grabbing Keith's head with the other. He left a loud kiss on Keith's cheek, giggling the whole time. Keith's wide eyes met Hunk's amused ones, then he felt his cheeks starting to warm up.

''Thank you, Keith,'' Lance smiled widely. ''You're the best.''

''I heard that,'' Hunk said in a fake-warning tone, making Lance smile even wider.

''Whatever,'' Keith was carefully avoiding to look at either Lance or Hunk. ''Just… don't do that again. 's just a pen.''

Lance was about to reply something when he noticed Pidge walking towards their table.

''Hey!'' he exclaimed way too loudly, waving at Pidge.

''Hey guys,'' Pidge replied once they were close enough of the table.

They sat beside Hunk, who took off his headphones and put his show on pause.

''I just got out of my Programming exam, and I'm glad to tell you, it went really good.''

''That's great news!'' Lance said, both Keith and Hunk nodding their head in approval. ''I told you Hunk was the best studying partner!''

''Yeah, thanks for the help, Hunk,'' Pidge smiled back at Hunk, who quickly told them that it was no big deal.

Hunk and Keith started asking more specific questions about the exam, questions that Lance understood sweet nothing of. The boy decided to start trying Keith's — well, now his — inking pen on one of his drafts. His lines were a bit shaky, the ones that should've been straight were as straight as the boy drawing them — in other words, they were not.

''Okay guys, enough about the exam, it's passed and I want to forget all about it,'' Pidge chuckled softly. ''I came here with a purpose. Lance?''

Lance lifted up his gaze from his drawing, humming a small ''Yeah?''.

''How was your date?'' Pidge smirked, watching as Lance's whole face lit up instantly.

Lance went from zero interest to practically shaking on his chair.

''It was amazing, oh my God, I still can't believe it!'' he exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear. ''He picked me up in front of my dorm and he apologized again for cancelling our last date and he was so handsome, you can't even imagine!'' he was talking fast, a pink blush spreading on his cheeks. ''He's like really tall, taller than me, with long and really really pale hair, nearly white, but god it suits him so well! He was wearing a blue shirt with rolled-up sleeves, which is, like, two of my favourite things in the world : blue and men in shirts,'' he then reached out for his phone. ''I think I have a picture of us that night, wait,'' after a few seconds, he shoved his phone in Pidge's face. ''Look!''

Pidge indeed looked at the picture and had to admit that this man beside Lance on the picture was really good-looking. Lance showed the picture to Keith too, Keith slouching back on his chair when he saw his, well, competition.

''He looks old,'' he mumbled as Lance took his phone back.

''Yeah, well, he's only one year older than me,'' Lance shrugged, putting his phone back on the table. ''I think it's just me that looks like a child.''

''So, he picked you up,'' Hunk reminded Lance that he was telling a story, knowing how Lance could lose himself in his own monologues.

''Yes! And not in an old Hyundai, in a fucking Porshe 911 Carrera, and shit, that activated my _rabo encendido_ ,'' Pidge didn't understand what that meant, but both Lance's seductive tone and Hunk's desperately voiced 'Lance' gave them a good idea of that was about. ''So he opens the passenger door like a gentleman, keeps complimenting me about anything and everything, and he even got me flowers! Like a shit ton of flowers,'' the more Lance talked, the more Keith found himself stupid of giving Lance a pen. Not even a new pen. A used pen. ''He drove us to this fancy ass restaurant, you know, the kind of restaurant that makes you feel poor just by walking by it? Well, I told him that and since these types of restaurants aren't my type of restaurant at all — I mean, I'm loud and annoying and not classy at all — he drove us to a cute, kitschy dinner instead and I looooved it!''

Lance was clearly daydreaming, his eyes staring at nothing and shining with joy.

''The food was really good, he paid for the whole meal. We even shared the dessert and he was holding my hand the whole time, which was both really adorable and really impractical because how do you want me to eat a hamburger with only one hand?'' he giggled, which made Hunk and Pidge smile at how cute he was. ''After that, he drove to a secluded spot in town, near the forest, and he opened the sunroof so we could watch the nightsky and…''

Lance's whole face turned red as he didn't continue his sentence. Pidge quickly inquired ''And what?'' because jeez don't leave them on a cliffhanger like that.

''And then we made out under the stars, that's it,'' he couldn't help but smile. ''And when it was getting really late, he drove me back to campus and kissed me goodnight.''

''That's way too cute for me to handle,'' Pidge commented, grinning. ''I'm so glad that it went so well, Lance. I was really doubting the guy since he cancelled your first date, but I think it's safe to say that he made it up to you.''

Lance laughed softly at that, nodding his head.

''Where did he get all that money?'' Keith asked grumpily. ''I mean, a Porshe? That's at least 100K. And the fancy restaurant? And all the flowers? What is he, a drug dealer?''

''A classy drug dealer,'' Pidge retorted, looking at Keith weirdly.

They understood that Keith was downcast because of this, but to ruin Lance's mood like that was just low.

''Well, he told me his dad's very rich, he's at the head of the Galra Enterprise… which is the biggest and most successful law firm in the whole state…'' Lance hesitated. ''H-he told me it was one of his dad's cars…''

Keith was still looking at Lance, looking unimpressed and bored.

''Are you okay, dude?'' Hunk asked, concerned. ''Is something wrong? Do you know Lotor?''

Keith was about to reply something but Pidge did it first.

''He's just jealous, guys.''

''What?'' Keith exclaimed. ''What the fuck, Pidge?''

Pidge raised both hands in front of them, as to say 'Not my problem, M. Grouchy'.

''Why would he be jealous?'' Hunk frowned.

''Is it because I had a date?'' Lance asked, looking uneasy. ''Because I had a date and… you feel bad because you didn't?''

Keith looked sincerely offended by it, and Pidge muttered ''Way to go, Lance''.

''I-I mean, I get it, okay? My friends used to go on dates all the time and I'd just stay at home and feel lonely because I wanted to go on dates too and have someone's attention as well…'' Lance explained. ''This is… that was the first date I ever had. A real date, I mean.''

Keith didn't believe him at first because who wouldn't want to date Lance?

''I could help you find a date,'' Lance added, now looking determined. ''Find you someone that'll bring you flowers and hold your hand and kiss you under the stars. I can do that! I'll find you the perfect man, Keith! The man of your dreams, even.''

''Haha, the man of my dreams,'' Keith laughed nervously, sending subtle messages with his eyes to get some help from Pidge.

But Pidge only smirked, leaning their chin against their hand as they watched the situation.

''Yeah! Because you too, you deserve a good man to take care of you,'' Lance nodded his head solemnly.

''Lance's a good wingman, I can tell you,'' Hunk added, smiling encouragingly. ''It can be scary at first because he's doing 90% of the job for you but you can trust him, he does a better job for others than he does for himself.''

''Hey!'' Lance exclaimed. ''I resent that.''

''I, uhm, well, yeah, maybe, I,'' Keith momentarily contemplated the idea of just throwing himself out by the window because he didn't want Lance to get someone for him, he wanted Lance to be interested in him. ''I just, really need to go… to the bathroom. Yeah.''

With that, he left to the bathroom, nearly running. Lance watched him as he left, frowning.

''He didn't look really convinced,'' he commented.

''Maybe he's just not used to it?'' Hunk suggested.

''Oh, I can assure you,'' Pidge said. ''He's not used to any of this.''

Lance pouted, unsure.

''I'm gonna go see him, if he's okay,'' he told the two other people at the table.

He then headed towards the only bathroom of the floor, hoping there wouldn't be anyone else in there. He knew that would make Keith even more uneasy. When he opened the door, he gladly found that only one stall was occupied, the rest of the room completely empty.

''Hey man,'' he said softly, approaching the locked stall. ''Are you feeling alright?''

Keith didn't reply, as if he was hoping Lance would give up and turn away. If he thought that, he surely didn't know Lance. The tanned boy went to the second stall, climbing up on the toilet seat. He nearly slipped in it, grabbing the wall between his and Keith's stall to prevent himself from falling. He peeked over the wall, finding Keith sitting on the toilet, fully clothed, and crossing his arms in his own introverted way.

''What's wrong, buddy?'' Lance asked.  

Keith shrugged his shoulders, still avoiding to look at Lance. He didn't want to have to discuss his feelings in this not-so-clean bathroom.

''Okay,'' Lance frowned. ''Then, is there something I can do to help you feel better?''

''I don't know, Lance!'' Keith suddenly exclaimed. ''Why don't you go out there and play Cupid while you're at it?''

''Oh,'' Lance's features softened. ''I'm sorry, I didn't know it would offend you like that. I just thought that you'd like to have someone by your side and stuff…''

Keith huffed, his shoulders relaxing as he looked up at Lance's face.

''What I need is friends.''

''You have friends! You have Allura, you have Shiro, you have Pidge, you have Hunk and you even have me!'' Lance smiled gently. ''You don't need tons of friends to be happy, and you don't have to see them every day and go out every night to prove your friendship.''

''I never get out of my dorm, seriously…'' Keith didn't know why he was trying to be pessimistic, but here he was. ''The only time I see you guys is when we come to the library together.''

''Well, I'm about to change that, Keithy boy,'' Lance smirked, and if that didn't give Keith the hots, then nothing will ever do. ''I am myself inviting you to our traditional Game Night, happening every Wednesday after 5 at Matt's, Hunk's and my apartment.''

Keith looked at Lance with the most hopeful eyes he's ever seen.

''Really?''

''Of course! Pidge's coming too. We usually order some food up, split up the bill and everyone can keep a bit of the leftovers. We play games all night, usually video games but I'm always in for board games!'' Lance looked down to stare straight into Keith's eyes. ''So, what do ya think? Wanna join?''

Keith nodded his head shyly.

''Yeah, sure, sounds great,'' he smiled back at Lance.

''Coolio! Do you do something Sunday night?''

''I thought it was on Wednesdays?'' Keith frowned.

''Game Nights are,'' Lance specified. ''You didn't answer my question.''

Keith thought for a second, trying to remember his work schedule.

''I think I'm free, yeah. Why?''

''Well, all my roommates are out, Hunk's going to see his family while Matt's going to some conference, so I was seeking for some friendly company,'' Lance shrugged. ''Although it's okay if you wanna stay at your dorm, I really don't mind.''

Keith stayed silent while he contemplated both of his options : 1) he could stay at home, comfortably, without any stress due to his crush's presence, or 2) he could spend the night with his crush, doing God-knows-what Lance had planned and fortify his relationship with Lance.

''So… I would meet you at your dorm?''

''Yeah! You could come around 4 or 5, we'd either play video games or watch something on the TV,'' Lance offered. ''I'd buy some snacks and food, we'd cook something easy but tasty and we watch more movies or play more games. Something really chill, y'know.''

''Sounds… chill,'' Keith admitted. ''Okay, just tell me what your dorm number is…''

''Sure, I'll text it to you,'' Lance nodded his head, accidentally slamming his chin on the wall between the stalls. ''Anyway, great! I'm glad you accepted. I've wanted to spend more time with you,'' he was completely oblivious to Keith's sudden red face. ''Like, I see Pidge and Hunk all the time. You? Not really. And you're really nice, so yeah. It'll be nice.''

Keith cleared his throat, nodding his head.

''Now, I think we should get out of here, it'll just be embarrassing if someone gets in,'' Lance laughed.

Keith watched as Lance's face disappeared from above the stall, then he heard Lance's footstep going out of the stall. Keith stood up, then tried to unlock the door. In vain.

''I think the lock's broken,'' he mumbled.

He tried turning it again, with all his might, but it stayed stuck.

''Are you kidding me,'' Lance laughed loudly, making Keith hiss, irritated. ''I can try to kick it open?''

''You're gonna slam it into my face, moron,'' Keith retorted.

''Well, there's not much I can do, you got into this situation yourself.''

''I didn't lock myself in on purpose,'' Keith snapped back. ''I can't get out by under the stall, that's just dirty and very unhygienic.''

Lance hummed in agreement.

''You can try to get out by above the stall. There's enough space for you to go above the door.''

''I'll fall on the floor, which is whack,'' Keith sighed.

''No, I'll catch you!'' Lance tried, his tone reassuring.

''We can… try, I guess.''

Keith stood on the toilet seat, then peeked at Lance by above the door.

''I can't do that from here. Maybe the other stall? The one you were in before?''

He watched as Lance walked back into the stall.

''Okay, then what?''

Keith put one foot on the toilet paper dispenser, hoping it wouldn't break under him. Lance reached out one hand for Keith to grab, as the poor boy was trying to push himself over the wall.

''Doing great, buddy,'' Lance encouraged him as Keith's torso was now in the other stall.

Lance grabbed Keith's waist as Keith put his hands on Lance's shoulders for more stability.

''This is awkward,'' Keith mumbled as he got one of his legs in the other side.

''Only if you make it awkward, pretty boy,'' Lance huffed under the effort.

He was nearly doing the Dirty Dancing Pose™ with Keith, and his arms weren't strong enough for this kind of show. Luckily, Keith got his other leg on the other side of the wall and fell back on his feet, breathing heavily. He made the mistake of looking up at a flushed Lance, his cheeks a radiant pink and his lips stretching in a cocky grin. Keith was hearing his heart beating in his ears.

''You did it,'' Lance grinned, leaving one hand on Keith's waist and guided him outside the stall. ''That was something right there. Are you a ninja or something?''

Keith didn't reply anything, because Holy shit, Lance called me pretty boy.

''I mean, a bad ninja, don't get your hopes up, but still. It was pretty remarkable,'' Lance conceded.

Keith smiled playfully.

''You would've done worse.''

''Of course I would have! I wouldn't have had a beautiful, handsome and tall man to grab me and prevent me from falling head first in a toilet!'' Lance retorted, looking at himself in the mirror for a second, replacing his hair messily. ''Anyway, let's join back our friends.''

They both headed towards the door, Lance leaving Keith's hip only once they were out of the bathroom and the door was fully closed behind them. They walked back to their table, where Hunk and Pidge appeared to be in a deep conversation. Hunk saw them first, exchanging a look with Pidge that neither Lance nor Keith found reassuring.

''Finally back from your gay trip?'' Pidge asked.

''Yep, and it was very gay,'' Lance sassed back, sitting on his chair. ''Keith got stuck in a stall and I had to save him.''

''Always the savior of the day, Lance,'' Hunk deadpanned. ''Seriously, how do you get stuck in a stall? Couldn't you just kick it?''

Keith crossed his arms on his chest, again.

''I didn't want Lance to kick a door in my face.''

''You could've stood on the toilet seat?'' Pidge remarked. ''Also, how did he get you out of there if he didn't open the door?''

Keith didn't reply, instead he just looked away as he felt his neck getting red.

''Honestly, it's not that important,'' Lance brushed the subject off with his hand. ''What were you talking about before we came back?''

''Oh yeah!'' Hunk snapped his finger. ''We were talking about the IXS Enterprise.''

''Like, Star Trek?'' Lance frowned, unsure.

''Technically, yes, but—''

Hunk cut off Pidge, clearly really excited about the IXS Enterprise.

''It's a ship NASA will create that travels through space faster than the speed of light!'' he exclaimed. ''Like the ships in Star Trek, and since only nerds have the dedication of working at NASA, well they called it IXS Enterprise!''

''How can they do that?'' Keith asked, now really interested.

''Yeah, last thing I heard, going faster than the speed of light would kill us, right?'' Lance added.

''That's where it gets really interesting,'' Pidge spoke faster than Hunk. ''Usually, when we want to travel, we take an object, whether it's a car, a plane or even ourselves, and we move it through space and time, from point A to point B.''

''Yeah, that's how it works,'' Lance frowned, crossing his arms on his chest.

Hunk was shaking beside Pidge, so they told him that he could tell Keith and Lance how the ship worked.

''Instead, what the IXS Enterprise does it's that, short explanation here, the ship cuts the space and time all around it and moves this part of the universe and makes it travel faster than light! Thus, every living being in the ship and in the cut-out space part will remain intact and time won't be calculated the same in the rest of the universe and in the ship!''

''So it takes a bit of… the existence,'' Keith summed up hesitatingly.

''And it moves it as fast as they want in the universe? What happens to the hole we create in space?'' Lance asked, completely lost.

''Since the universe is literally nothing, a big ol' void, it doesn't really do anything than replace itself, logically speaking,'' Pidge explained.

''So maybe someday we'll go to space and explore the universe?'' Keith whispered in awe.

Hunk sighed, shaking his head.

''This is still only an idea, not a fully detailed and on point plan. IXS Enterprise would hypothetically take place in at least 50 years,'' he said.

''Man, I always wanted to be a space ranger, and defend the universe with cool laser guns!'' Lance pouted sadly.

''You could still go on space vacation in space Bahamas,'' Keith offered, making Lance smile again.

''Yeah!'' he exclaimed. ''And maybe I'll find some hot alien babe and have mixed alien-human babies!''

Keith snorted.

''Lance, you'll like 70 when the first ship will be created,'' he retorted. ''What tells you any alien would want to date old-thingie and wrinkled Lance?''

''Keith, buddy, my man, _chico lindo de mis su_ _e_ _ños_ ,'' Lance began, only to be cut off by Hunk.

''Really, Lance? Does he know what you call him?'' he asked, already knowing the answer.

Lance only winked at his best friend, then continued talking to Keith.

''I will never be too old for anybody, trust me, and my face will never know the existence of wrinkles.''

Instead of replying something salty, Keith only stared at one particular spot on Lance's face, squinting his eyes.

''What?'' Lance asked, losing his smirk.

''What's that?'' Keith whispered, approaching his face of Lance's.

He pointed the exact same spot, as Lance looked more and more panicked.

''What?'' the tanned boy asked again.

''A wrinkle,'' Keith said quietly. ''Right there.''

Lance frowned angrily, smacking Keith's hand down.

''You fucker, you fucking suck,'' he spat.

''Oh he wishes he did,'' Pidge commented.

Lance ignored them, staring at Keith, vexed.

''I don't have any wrinkles, okay?'' he exclaimed. ''I thought I had like a dead fly on my face or something, don't do that!''

Keith was smiling playfully, giggling. Lance glared at him, clearly offended.

''I was joking, Lance. Your face's fine.''

''Is it, now?'' Lance raised one eyebrow, looking at Keith with his charming smile.

Keith didn't have time to react that a girl he never seen before arrived to their table, a few books in her arms.

''Hi,'' she breathed, putting her books on the table beside Hunk.

''Oh, hey Heidi,'' Hunk greeted her.

The girl's cheeks were a light pink.

''I-I had some questions about the Physics test,'' she pulled a chair and sat at the end of the table where Hunk sat. ''Could you help me?''

Hunk closed his laptop, pushing it farther on the table.

''Sure, you missed last class, right?''

She nodded her head, biting her bottom lip as she opened one of her books.

''I tried reading the chapter, but I didn't quite understand,'' she noticed that everyone around the table was looking at her, cue to her blush worsening.

''Yeah, that one was tougher than the others,'' Hunk chuckled softly. ''You really did choose the lesson the miss.''

Heidi giggled lightly, looking a bit nervous.

''I got my notes on my laptop, lucky for you,'' Hunk reopened his laptop, getting to the said notes.

Lance, Keith and Pidge watched as Hunk helped Heidi, the girl blushing and stuttering every time Hunk would look at her. Lance and Pidge exchanged a knowing look. Hunk was completely oblivious to what was going on, still smiling and peacefully helping out someone of one of his classes. After reading the notes once, Hunk suggested that he'd send the notes to Heidi, who looked like she was blessed as Hunk entered his number in her phone. After that, Heidi had to leave for some reason, leaving Hunk with three ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) looking people.

''What?'' he frowned.

''Dude, she's so into you!'' Lance exclaimed once Heidi was out of the library.

''What?'' Hunk repeated, this time with wide eyes and red ears.

''She looked like Keith when he spots a hot bod, all flustered,'' Pidge added.

Hunk looked at Keith, who nodded his head.

''Really?'' Hunk whispered. ''But… she's a cheerleader.''

''So what?'' Lance smiled. ''I'm from a not-so-rich Cuban family with six kids and Lotor's the only child of a successful father and he's still into me!''

Hunk blushed, knowing that Lance was right.

''She's in one of your classes?'' Keith asked, just wanting to not hear more about Lotor.

''Yeah, Physics class. She's my lab partner,'' Hunk explained. ''We talk often since we have analysis to do every week and stuff.''

''And?'' Lance inquired.

''Well, it's true that she wanted to be in team with me even when we aren't in labs… but I always thought it was because we're at the same level in Physics… like we have similar grades and stuff,'' Hunk bit his bottom lip. ''I mean, she's cute and really adorable… but I don't see myself with her.''

''Why?'' Pidge asked. ''You two look totally cute together!''

Hunk shrugged.

''Other than in Physics classes… we're not the same at all. I mean, we wouldn't get along in long term…''

''You're such a romantic, Hunky-Hunk,'' Lance smiled softly. ''Always thinking about the long term…''

''How can you know what'll be good in long term when you don't know what isn't in short term?'' Pidge wondered. ''Sometimes, getting into relationships or only dating people and going around kissing strangers can help you find out what really suits you, whether it's a cute cheerleader or a shy florist.''

''But it scares me…'' Hunk admitted. ''I don't want to be hurt and I don't want to hurt. I'm scared of making mistakes and getting my hopes up.''

Lance looked at his best friend sadly.

''I'm like that too,'' Keith confessed. ''I'm terrified of getting hurt by someone who means the world to me and end up with nothing.''

''Aww, guys,'' Lance said softly, putting one hand on Keith's arm and the other on Hunk's hand. ''I know it's scary, but sometimes the good owns up to the bad and you get out of the relationship all grown up and knowing yourself better. Not all heartbreaks are scarring and not all goodbyes hurt the same! And no matter what happens, you'll always have friends by your side. People who stand with you and will help you get all the pieces back together,'' he then looked at Keith in the eye. ''I'm one of them. You're my friend, now. I won't let you down, ever.''

And Keith found himself believing him.

 

* * *

 

 

''Thanks again for bringing me here,'' Matt smiled, looking up at Shiro.

''It's like the fourth time you've thanked me in the last hour, Matt,'' Shiro nevertheless smiled at Matt because the boy was too cute for Shiro to stay impassible. ''I've told you, it's my pleasure. I'm glad you're enjoying this.''

''That first conference was really interesting, I've never really thought about using technologies in plants. I mean, genetics, of course, but physical technologies? Like electricity and everything?'' Matt made a little 'wow'. ''That's like making plants-robots!''

Shiro laughed at that.

''We're still far away from the talking and walking plants,'' he specified. ''But it's fascinating how it can be applied to anything, uh?''

''Yeah!'' Matt exclaimed. ''Maybe one day you'll have one fully robotic arm and it'll act like a normal arm. You'll be able to choose what you want it to look like with your mind, like poof! polka dots, poof! a picture of my dog, anything!''

''That would be amazing,'' Shiro nodded his head. ''I'd do anything to have a fully functional arm.''

Matt looked at Shiro's prosthetic.

''It's technically possible for you to have an update, that's for sure.''

''I don't have the money for any upgrade,'' Shiro sighed.

Matt grabbed Shiro's left arm softly, wrapping his own arm around it.

''Don't worry, one day you'll have the upgrade you deserve,'' he said solemnly.

''Thanks, Matt,'' Shiro looked down a Matt for a second, meeting his big hazel eyes.

He then guided him towards the main hall of the building. There were expositions and other smaller conferences in the different sections of the huge room.

''So,'' he came to a stop when they were in the middle of the room. ''What's next?''

Matt leaned his head against Shiro's bicep.

''What do you have to see for your class?'' he asked. ''That's why we're here in the first place, right?''

''Yeah, well, I only had to see the conferences and take notes.''

''Which you did,'' Matt noted. ''So now we can go anywhere we want?''

''Sure,'' Shiro looked around them, then lifted his left arm to look at his watch. ''We still have three hours until the event ends.''

''Cool,'' Matt started pulling at Shiro's arm. ''I really wanted to see the expositions and the demonstrations.''

''Off to the expos we go, then,'' Shiro grinned at how Matt's face lit up at that.

He let Matt decide which expo to go first, the brown-haired boy choosing the robotics one first (of course). Matt went from object to object, reading the purpose of it and how it was fabricated to Shiro. The taller guy was listening happily, noticing how Matt seemed to be in his elements and how confident he was about his own affirmations. Only once Shiro proved him wrong, and that left Matt stuttering and blushing as he conceded that Shiro was right. Once they saw all the objects of that exposition, Matt pulled Shiro to the room of demonstration, where the artificial intelligences were put to test. There were demonstrators showing and explicating the different prototypes to people, Matt listening with religious attention, arm still wrapped around Shiro's.

After an hour of wandering in the room, watching and listening to different specialists of artificial intelligences, Matt decided that they had seen enough in that room and he exited it, holding Shiro's arm tightly because the main hall was crowded and he would literally be lost in a crowd so dense.

''What do you want to see?'' Shiro leaned down to talk to Matt. ''We still have about an hour.''

Matt shrugged, ''I don't know, I've seen everything I wanted to see. What about you?''

Shiro shrugged too, but because Matt was so close of his arm, he nearly knocked his glasses off.

''I think we saw everything interesting here, honestly.''

''Hmm, and I'm hungry,'' Matt admitted.

''Me too,'' Shiro sighed. ''It's around 6PM, do you want to go grab something to eat?''

Matt nodded his head slightly. Shiro then started to head towards the exit, going through the crowd with Matt following him closely. Once they were out, they both took a deep breath, glad to have some space again around them.

''Do you know a good restaurant that's not too pricey and not too far from here?'' Matt asked. ''I've never been in this part of the city, I don't even know where we are.''

''Hm,'' Shiro looked around them. ''We can grab a bus and go back home where we know the restaurants.''

''I'm kinda really hungry now,'' Matt sighed.

''There's probably a McD's close?''

Matt grabbed his phone, leaving Shiro's arm free after three hours of constant holding. Shiro stretched his arm subtly as Matt looked for restaurants near them.

''So?'' Shiro got closer to Matt, glancing down at the phone in his hands.

''Okay there's Japanese restaurants, a Chick-fil-A, a local pizzeria, a Five Guys, an Olive Garden… there's also a sushi bar, I don't know what that is but it makes me curious,'' Matt said, scrolling through Google Maps' recommendations of restaurants. ''What do you think?''

''Anything goes for me,'' Shiro shrugged. ''What about you? You're a little pickier than me, so…''

''Sushi?'' Matt offered, looking up at Shiro with pleading eyes. ''It's been a while since I've eaten some.''

Even if Shiro hated sushi, he couldn't say no to that face.

''That's fine with me,'' he smiled. ''Where's that sushi bar?''

''From here, it's about 15 minutes of walk.''

''Show me the way, then,'' Shiro beamed.

Matt memorized the directions before putting his phone back in his pocket. He then grabbed Shiro's arm again and started walking. It took them 20 minutes to find the restaurant, mostly because Matt hesitated a few times in intersections and had to check his phone.

Once in the building, they waited in the entrance as a waitress verified if a table for two was vacant. Matt let go of Shiro's arm only when he had to sit at the table, Shiro shivering when cold air hit his arm. The waitress gave them the menus before asking them what they'd like to drink with the meal. Both guys chose a glass of water, and the waitress left them alone.

''What do you want to eat?'' Shiro asked as he opened the menu.

''Sushi,'' Matt joked, making Shiro roll his eyes. ''Honestly, I'll take whatever's less expensive. Like, that looks good because it's less than twenty bucks.''

Shiro laughed.

''There's plates we could share, I mean, like this one,'' he pointed the item on Matt's menu. ''20 pieces for $36. We can choose up to four garnitures.''

''Sounds good,'' Matt agreed. ''We choose two garnitures each, fair-fair.''

''Okay,'' Shiro looked at the garniture part of the menu. ''So, I would take shrimps and then salmon.''

''You're one of these people,'' Matt commented, and before Shiro asked what he meant by that, he continued. ''I'll take avocados, and mangos.''

The waitress came back with two glasses of water, then Shiro ordered the plate for them both.

''Perfect, I'll get you that,'' the waitress left with a smile.

''You eat fruits in your sushi?'' Shiro smirked.

''Yes, I have a really sweet tooth, okay?'' Matt huffed, offended. ''I hate things that are too salty or sour. Or fishy. I don't like fishes.''

''We're in a sushi place,'' Shiro chuckled, amused. ''It's a place that's kinda specialised in seafood.''

Matt had a 'fight me' expression on his face, which amused Shiro even more.

''Let me have the sushi I want okay? I pay for half of this meal, I decide for half of the garniture.''

''I know, I was joking, Matt,'' Shiro laughed as Matt only sipped at his glass of water, glaring at Shiro. ''Oh, c'mon, don't be mad.''

''I'll be mad if I want to,'' Matt replied. ''I didn't judge you because you eat dead fishes, do I?''

Shiro leaned his chin on the palm of his hand, looking at Matt with a smile.

''No, you don't.''

Shiro's smile pissed Matt off ever more. The boy crossed his legs under himself on his chair, looking away with an irritated expression.

''Matt,'' Shiro cooed, knowing what Matt wanted him to say. ''What do you want me to do so you can forgive me?''

Matt side-glanced the man in front of him, gaging him.

''I don't know, what will you do so I can forgive you?''

Shiro didn't miss how the corner of Matt's mouth twitched, as if he was holding back a smile.

''Well, I saw an ice cream shop down the road, I _could_ get you something so your Highness can forgive me,'' he smirked, watching Matt's eyes sparkle in interest.

''Only if I have sprinkles on it.''

''Of course,'' Shiro smiled. He didn't have time to finish saying those two words that Matt was back facing him, a grin stretching his lips. ''You're impossible.''

Matt giggled, but didn't deny it because he knew it was true. Shiro didn't seem to mind, so he didn't feel bad about it.

''So, what do you think of the conference in general?'' Shiro asked, chin still in his hand.

His eyes were looking fondly at Matt, who suddenly remembered that he was with his crush.

''It was amazing, really,'' he blushed. ''There were so many interesting things, I thought we'd never have enough time to see everything. Some of the parts of the exposition also kinda looked a lot like what I'm studying too, so I could actually understand it,'' he chuckled. ''Anyway, thanks. A lot. It means a lot that you brought me there.''

''I'm glad you liked it,'' Shiro smiled softly. ''Now that I'm thinking about it, I wouldn't have brought anyone else than you. It was really great and I like spending time with you.''

Both Shiro's and Matt's eyes widened at that, Shiro because he realized what he just said, and Matt because _Holy shit what_.

''Here's the twenty pieces,'' the waitress arrived with the plate and the various sauces.

She put it between them before giving them their chopsticks. Shiro muttered a ''Thank you'' barely audible as Matt just nodded his head in a shy thanking. Matt didn't dare look at Shiro until the waitress was gone.

''I, uh, I don't know how to eat with chopsticks,'' he admitted.

Shiro smiled fondly at the boy in front of him, a blush still rising on his cheeks. He showed Matt how to use the chopsticks, gently placing his hands on the sticks.

''My parents are Japanese, so I didn't really have the choice to learn to use them,'' he chuckled. ''Try to move them.''

Matt did as he was told, weakly closing and opening the chopsticks.

''Yeah, like that,'' Shiro encouraged him. ''If you really struggle with them, just eat with your fingers. I won't judge you,'' he winked.

Matt quickly gave up the chopsticks, mostly because he was way too hungry to be patient and try them again. They started to eat silently, Shiro eating all of the 'fishy' pieces and Matt carefully avoiding them. At the end, they both were still hungry after eating their 10 pieces each, so Shiro ordered some more. He ordered only the avocado and mango ones, telling Matt that he'll try them for the sake of it.

''You'll see, it's great,'' Matt smiled. ''Otherwise I wouldn't eat it.''

''You eat cheese with ketchup,'' Shiro retorted. ''I can't trust someone who eats cheese with ketchup.''

''Says the guy who eats shrimps,'' Matt replied. ''Have you ever seen a shrimp alive? It has like a thousand legs and antlers and googly eyes.''

When their plate arrived, Matt watched as Shiro tasted the avocado piece first.

''It's great, it's like sweet guacamole,'' Shiro commented, mouth still full.

''Yeah, that's called puréed avocado,'' Matt deadpanned. ''Try the mango one.''

Shiro scrunched his nose, as if it was challenging to eat a mango piece of sushi. He took one piece with his chopstick, then shoved it in his mouth in one go. Matt raised one eyebrow, waiting for Shiro's reaction.

''I thought it would be worse than that,'' Shiro admitted after finishing eating the piece.

''Admit it, you like it,'' Matt smirked.

''It's not bad,'' Shiro conceded.

Matt ate two pieces, thinking about how he could make Shiro admit that he was right. He was deep in his thoughts when he saw Shiro move his chopsticks closer to the plate, grabbing a mango piece of sushi. Matt nearly missed the movement, but Shiro wasn't quick enough.

''I knew it!'' he exclaimed, slamming his hand on the table. People around them turned to stare at the two guys, half-curious, half-annoyed. ''You like the mango ones!''

Shiro burst out laughing at Matt's determination in his face.

''Okay okay, yes I do,'' he grinned, Matt beaming with pride. ''You happy now?''

''Of course I am!'' Matt laughed, hiding his mouth with his hand.

Shiro looked at the boy in front of him, smiling uncontrollably. He felt his heart beat faster when he realized people were starring, some of them with fond looks and others with disgust. Shiro and Matt ate the rest of the pieces, Matt leaving a few mango ones to Shiro. They split the bill, Shiro convincing Matt to let him pay for the last plate because he ate the majority of it.

They walked out of the restaurant, Matt's arm wrapping around Shiro's as soon as they were out. They headed to the ice cream shop, Matt staying as close to Shiro as possible. They got into the shop, Shiro ordering their ice cream — soft vanilla ice cream for him, and soft chocolate ice cream with colored sprinkles and a cherry in a bowl for Matt — and paid for them both. Matt tried to pay for his, saying he only joked back in the restaurant, but Shiro refused.

''Thanks, Shiro,'' Matt said softly, leaning his head on Shiro's arm.

''It's my pleasure, Matt,'' Shiro replied with a smile.

He then proceeded to move his left arm until Matt's grip loosened. He took the opportunity to slide his hand in his, then intertwined their fingers together. Matt looked down at their hands, then at Shiro with wide eyes.

''It's… it's better that way, right?'' Shiro chimed in, cheeks pink.

Matt nodded his head, feeling his own cheeks getting warmer.

''Here,'' the employee handed them their ice creams.

''Thanks,'' Shiro smiled, dropping Matt's hand to take the cone and the cup.

He gave the cup to Matt, making sure he took it in his left hand before he held Matt's right hand again. They chose a table for two in the shop, still holding hands. Matt immediately started eating his ice cream, mostly because he was too shy to talk to Shiro without stuttering. Shiro did the same, taking a bite off of his ice cream. Matt stared at him in pure horror.

''What?'' Shiro frowned.

''You took a bite off your ice cream!'' Matt exclaimed.

Shiro stared back at him, confused.

''Yeah?''

''Who does that? What the fuck, Shiro!'' Matt burst out. ''Aren't your teeth? Doesn’t it hurt? You'll catch a brain freeze like that!''

''… No?'' Shiro pouted.

Matt took a deep breath.

''No! You have to lick, not bite!'' he exclaimed, exasperated.

Shiro's cheeks turned red, ''Lick, no bite. Got it.''

Matt nodded his head, glad that Shiro understood. Then he realized that this could have a whole other connotation, and he hid his face with his free hand. Shiro laughed, stroking Matt's hand with his thumb.

''That's… that's not…'' Matt tried to speak, in vain.

''I know, I know,'' Shiro smiled.

Matt went back to his ice cream, glancing up to watch if Shiro would bite off his ice cream again. Shiro waited until Matt looked at him to lick his ice cream, proving that he wasn't biting it anymore. Matt giggled, shoving a spoonful of ice cream in his mouth. They ate their dessert happily, both guys smiling uncontrollably at each other.

When they finished their meal, they threw their used napkins — Shiro's ice cream melted all over his hands and the table — in the garbage can before leaving the small building.

''Let's head home, shall we?'' Shiro offered as Matt held his hand tighter, nodding his head.

They walked to a bus stop that would bring them to the campus, making small talk about anything and everything. While they waited for the bus, Matt got closer to Shiro, blaming the cold temperature of the night. Shiro unzipped his hoodie and wrapped it around Matt, making the smaller boy radiate happiness. Matt tried to zip the hoodie around them both, but the bus arrived before he could do so.

They found two seats empty side by side, Shiro sitting by the window. Matt leaned against Shiro, too shy to take Shiro's hand back in his. Instead, he grazed his fingers on Shiro's arm, the taller guy getting the hint and taking Matt's cold hand in his. Matt felt butterflies in his stomach as soon as Shiro's skin touched his, as cheesy and stereotypical that was. Shiro leaned his head on Matt's, speaking softly.

''Your shampoo smells good, what is it?''

''Uh, strawberry, I think,'' he giggled. ''Stop, you're tickling me.''

''I'm not doing anything,'' Shiro replied, smiling. ''I swear.''

''Okay then what's on my neck, then?''

Shiro looked at Matt's neck, finding a small spider crawling on his skin. He quickly brushed it off, muttering a ''Nothing, probably a ghost.''

Matt laughed cutely, putting one hand on his mouth as he did so.

''Why're you doing that?'' Shiro asked, softly grabbing Matt's wrist and lowering his hand.

''Oh,'' Matt shrugged, still smiling. ''When I was younger I had braces and I hated it so I used to,'' he mimicked the gesture, ''hide my mouth when I laughed because there were elastics and everything. Now it's a reflex because for four years of my life I hated smiling.''

''Well,'' Shiro put one finger under Matt's chin, lifting it up gently. He looked into his eyes, their faces a few inches away only. ''I love your smile…''

Matt's eyes trailed down Shiro's face to look at his lips, a shy blush creeping on his cheeks. His heart started beating faster and faster as Shiro's face got closer to his, until it was merely an inch away, and then—

''Voltron Academia,'' the electronical voice of the announcer rang loudly in the empty bus.

If Matt ever thought the gods were against him, now he was sure. The electric tension between him and Shiro disappeared, only leaving a bittersweet feeling in his chest. They got out of the bus, Shiro thanking the driver as he did so.

They walked to their dorm building, Shiro's hand finding its way shyly to Matt's. They got into the large building, then into the elevator.

''I'm gonna go with you to your dorm, tell you goodbye there,'' Shiro offered as they arrived to the fourth floor.

Matt was feeling his heart sinking as the minutes went by, not wanting to say goodbye yet. Shiro escorted him to his door, letting go of his hand once they were in front of the apartment D.38.

''So,'' he hummed, uncertain of what should happen next.

Matt didn't say anything. Instead, he threw himself in Shiro's arms, hugging him tightly. Shiro wrapped his arms around him, leaning his head on his and closing his eyes. Matt listened to Shiro's fast heartbeat, and how it went quicker and quicker as the seconds went by.

''Thank you,'' he mumbled against Shiro's shirt.

''No problem, big boy,'' Shiro whispered, tightening his arms around Matt, who hummed happily.

Both guys didn't want to end the hug just yet, but after at least 5 minutes, Matt loosened his arms around Shiro's chest. Shiro lifted his hands and cupped Matt's face, his thumbs caressing the freckled cheeks softly.

''See ya around,'' he murmured, kissing his also-freckled forehead, ''and good night.''

Matt smiled, pushing his glasses back on his nose.

''See you soon, hopefully,'' he said as Shiro dropped his hands. ''Sweet dreams.''

With that, he entered in the dorm, waving goodbye one last time with a soft smile before closing the door behind him.

Shiro stared at the door, heart still beating abnormally fast.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you guys think of the story up to now?
> 
> Is there anything you really want to see happen in the next chapters? Tell me!
> 
> ALSO : What do you think of season 3? We've been blessed so far \-- I purposely didn't translate what Lance calls Keith bc 1. I wanted the reader to be as clueless (if they're not Spanish-speaking, of course) as Keith and 2. leave you to wait until its revealed or to go translate it on google translate and see what nerd that boy is \-- Thank you for your comments, they make me so happy!!! Kudos if you liked this chapter and want to see more, like I just said, I really love reading your comments! <3


	8. Pink

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I gotta tell you guys that I name these chapters with random colors. I just put the name of a color that I think represents the chapter well lmao don't take it seriously!
> 
> Here's the 8th chapter, full of not-funny jokes and disgustingly cute fluff! Hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I like writing it!

When Keith had first arrived at Lance's dorm, he was a nervous wreck. His hands were sweating, his stomach was tied in a knot, and he nearly turned around and left the fourth floor without knocking at the door. Luckily, he just took a deep breath and knocked once on the wooden door.

Now he was sitting on Lance's bed, Lance in front of him and facing him. The tanned boy was painting Keith's nails carefully with red nail polish, since it was his favorite color. Lance had his legs around Keith's waist, his excuse being that he needed to be closer to him to paint his nails flawlessly.

''You shouldn't bite your nails,'' Lance commented, finishing Keith's right hand. ''Makes your fingers look shorter and it's unhealthy. I've read on the Internet that some people got nails stuck in their appendix and had appendicitis because they were biting their nails.''

''Uh,'' Keith winced, looking down at his hand. His fingers were already short, he didn't need them to look even shorter. ''I don't bite my nails on purpose…''

''Anxiety, uh?'' Lance smiled softly, taking Keith's left hand and starting painting his nails. ''I understand. I used to do that all the time when I was younger.''

Keith didn't know what to say, so he just hummed in approval. Lance was singing quietly along the song playing on his laptop, a concentrated frown on his face. Lance's hands were soft against Keith's skin, holding his hand steadily to not mess his nails.

''So,'' Lance spoke after a few minutes of peaceful silence, ''I'm a really gossipy person and I wondered—''

''Oh really?'' Keith cut him off with a smirk. ''You? Gossipy? I would've never guessed.''

''Oh shut up, _chico lindo_ ,'' Lance grinned back, lifting his gaze to look a Keith for a second. ''I want to know something and you're the only person who can tell me.''

''Okay,'' Keith's curiosity took over his sassiness. ''Now I'm interested. What do you want to know?''

''I wanted to know,'' Lance bit his bottom lip, staring back at Keith with nearly seductive eyes. Keith knew he was fucked. Lance could ask him for his credit card number and he'd give it to him in a heartbeat, ''what's going on between Matt and Shiro from your brother's point of view.''

Keith didn't answer for a moment. He didn't know what he was expecting, but it wasn't that.

''Oh, uh, well,'' he stuttered out. ''I mean, they're at the conference right now. S-so I guess they're friends?''

''As much as I value your opinion, Keithy boy, I kinda wanted to know what Shiro was thinking of Matt,'' Lance admitted, finishing painting Keith's pinky and putting the small applicator back in the bottle. ''You can tell me, I won't tell Matt. Promise.''

''Well, Matt is his friend,'' Keith knew Shiro would be mad at him if he ever told Lance anything about his… feelings? for Matt. Shiro would probably go straight to Lance and tell him all about Keith's feelings, thus ruining his one and only chance he got with him.

Lance nodded his head, ''Of course. I don't think you get what I'm asking for,'' he giggled, completely oblivious to the fact that Keith knew exactly what he was asking for. ''I'm wondering if they ever have a chance to be more than friends. Matt'll kill me for telling you this, but he has a crush on Shiro. Not like a huge crush that'll ruin everything if ever outed, but still. So I was wondering if Shiro might possibly feel the same?''

Keith stared at Lance. The boy just ratted out one of his closest friends to Keith for the sake of gossiping. Keith thought for half a second, then decided that he could do that too.

''I think so, yeah,'' he replied. ''I mean, still, it's too early in their relationship to be sure of anything but…''

''But?'' Lance inquired, eyes shining bright.

''Maybe it'll grow out being more than friendship, who knows?''

Lance squealed happily.

''I knew it! They would be so cute together! Like really buff and tall Shiro with small and skinny Matt,'' he giggled.

''Yeah,'' Keith smiled. ''Do you think one of them will make the first move tonight?''

Lance's eyes were sparkling with curiosity and mischievousness.

''Maybe? If so, it'll be Shiro,'' he whispered, as if he was scared of being heard. ''Matt's too shy and stuck up to do anything first.''

''Shiro's the kind of guy that waits until he's 200% sure that he won't be rejected before doing something,'' Keith chuckled.

''Well, nothing will happen tonight then,'' Lance laughed. ''See, that's why I'm always straightforward. I don't want to miss my chance or to pass up an opportunity. So I just go for it.''

Keith nodded his head. He wished he could do that too, but rejection terrified him to the bone.

''But don't feel bad because you're shy too, Keith,'' Lance added quickly, a reassuring smile on his lips. ''You just need to find yourself a guy like me who'll make the first move.''

Keith smiled at the irony of it.

''Yeah, I guess so.''

Lance was about to add something when they heard a knock on the front door.

''Probably the pizza guy,'' Lance said, getting up from the bed. He stretched his back lazily, Keith glancing down at the sliver of skin appearing when Lance's shirt moved up. ''Go to the living room, I'll join you there with the food. Maybe it'll be some cute pizza boy again.''

He winked at Keith, who just stared at him confusedly. He did what Lance told him to, following him out of the room. He sat on the couch, watching as Lance chitchatted with the delivery girl. Keith wished he could be so comfortable around people, but he had the social abilities of a corndog. When Lance got back with the food, a large smile on his face, Keith couldn't help but smile too.

''Can't believe you love pineapple pizza,'' Lance exclaimed, putting the pizza boxes and the paper bag with fries and soda in it on the table. He then let himself fall on the couch beside Keith. ''I thought I'd be the only one here. Matt nearly disinherited me when he learned that and Hunk didn't speak to me for at least three hours.''

''Shiro's best argument was 'no one should eat fruits on pizza' but he eats pizza with anchovies on it so he should just shut up,'' Keith added, making Lance laugh out loud.

''Anchovies,'' he repeated. ''What the fuck, that's just plain disgusting.''

''Glad to see I have a pineapple stan with me,'' Keith smiled, as Lance nudged his shoulder softly.

''No prob, pretty boy,'' he winked, then proceeded to stand up. ''I'll go get some plates and a knife to cut the pizza. Do you need something in the ketchup?''

''Yeah, maybe some kitchen,'' Keith mocked Lance's Freudian slip.

Lance flipped him off, still smiling.

''Whatever,'' he sighed, then repeated himself. ''Need something in the kitchen?''

''Ketchup and salt for the fries, and a glass for the Coke,'' Keith grinned. ''Please.''

''Got it,'' Lance saluted him with two fingers, then left to the kitchen.

He came back a minute after with two plates, a knife, a glass, the pot of ketchup and the saltshaker all balancing in his arms. He nearly dropped the glass, Keith catching it just before it hit the ground.

''Thanks, buddy,'' Lance said as he put all the effects on the small table. ''Why a glass, tho?''

''I hate the metallic taste of the can, so…'' Keith shrugged. ''Also I always drop the small pin in the can and my parents were always scared I'd swallow it up so they forbid me to drink in a can.''

Lance giggled.

''You're such a dork,'' he teased.

Keith smiled shyly, looking down at the glass in his hand.

''Yeah well, so are you,'' he joked as Lance wiggled his eyebrows.

''Let's eat, shall we?''

Keith nodded his head, watching as Lance served the pizza. He took the plate Lance handed him, risking to look at Lance's eyes. He lifted up his gaze, eyes locking into the blue ones, only inches away. Keith suddenly realized how close they were, their arms and thighs brushing lightly together every time one of them moved. The fact that Lance was wearing very short pajama shorts didn't help at all. The boy had legs _for days_.

''Wanna watch something?'' Lance asked, mouth full.

He didn't wait for Keith to answer to turn on the TV and put on Netflix.

''Yeah,'' Keith answered nonetheless.

''Here,'' Lance handed him the remote. ''Choose.''

Keith stared at the remote. He didn't want to choose. What if he choose something and Lance disagreed? What if Lance laughed of his choice of movies/shows? Keith was still slightly panicking when Lance's profile logged on. The only thing Keith saw was that Spongebob Squarepants, Pokemon and Pretty Little Liars were in Lance's favorites list. Keith side-glanced Lance, a smirking stretching his lips.

''I want to know who A is, okay?'' Lance replied, visibly offended that Keith dared mocking him for his preferences.

''Okay,'' Keith didn't push it further. ''Wanna watch a scary movie?''

''If you find a movie scary enough to scare me, of course,'' Lance retorted.

Keith searched for a scary movie, the first one popping up being The Babadook.

''We cannot not watch it,'' Lance exclaimed as he saw Keith click on the remote to scroll through the options. ''It's the new gay icon!''

Keith laughed at that, then agreed with Lance. He put the movie on, laying back on the couch to find a comfortable position. Lance grabbed himself a second slice, as Keith started eating his first.

They watched the movie, Lance being amused more than he was scared. They ate the two whole pizzas they had ordered, Lance finishing up the fries Keith left in his plate.

''Do you want dessert?'' he asked as the credits of the movie rolled before their eyes.

''Hell no,'' Keith huffed. ''I'm fulled.''

''Y'know, it's one of Hunk's kink,'' Lance blurted out. ''Something about being full or filled, dunno.''

Keith's face twisted into an expression of horror and disgust mixed up.

''I did not ask to know ANY OF THIS,'' he shouted, smacking Lance's face away from his. ''What the fuck! How do you know that?''

''Well, just like he knows I have a praise kink,'' Lance shrugged. ''We talk. About stuff.''

Keith closed his eyes for a moment. _Of course, Lance of all people would have a praise kink._

''I'm not sure Hunk would like knowing you tell people his kinks,'' he muttered. ''And I'm 100% sure people don't want to know Hunk's kinks, or yours, without being asked.''

''You're saying that probably because you're ashamed of your own kinks, Kogane,'' Lance smirked. ''Lemme guess.''

Lance tapped his chin as if he was deeply thinking.

''No, no guess,'' Keith retorted. ''I don't have kinks anyway.''

That was a lie.

''Oh, come on, you're a shitty liar, Keith,'' Lance winked. ''Now, lemme think. You're broody, a little bit of a loner, ex-emo if I judge by the style, you like pineapple pizza and is an introverted artist.''

Keith crossed his arms, half-intrigued to see what Lance would say, and half-terrified of what Lance will say.

''So, I'm gonna name a few, just say how many I got right, if any, okay?'' Lance asked, waited for Keith to nod his head before continuing. ''Okay, here we go. Knife kink?''

Keith's whole face flushed red.

''That's a yes, then,'' Lance wiggled his eyebrows, as if it wasn't Keith's dignity that was involved. ''Light bondage, like ropes or handcuffs? Probably dirty talk, hmm? You like when someone whispers in your ear,'' Lance got closer to Keith, purring in his ear, ''telling you how good you—''

Keith took one of the pillows on the couch and slammed it against Lance's face.

''I don't like this game, shut the fuck up,'' he yelled, completely panicked.

Lance was laughing so hard he was snorting. Keith crossed his arms back on his chest, trying to stop his whole face from being red.

''How many did I guess right?'' Lance asked, poking Keith's shoulder repeatedly.

''None, shut up, oh, shut the fuck up,'' Keith did his best to avoid to looking at Lance.

''Aww, Keith, don't be ashamed,'' Lance cooed. ''I'm your friend! I can't judge you, and even if I do, I'll never leave you or put you down for it.''

He wrapped one arm around Keith's shoulders, bringing him closer to himself. Keith hid his face with his hands, trying to hide to flush on his cheeks.

''I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable, I forget how fragile you are.''

Keith's head shot up, his eyes darting into Lance's.

''I am not fragile!'' he exclaimed. ''I'm… I'm…''

Lance raised his eyebrows, a playful smile on his lips.

''Yeah?''

''I'm… strong, okay? I'm just on the soft side,'' Keith mumbled, making Lance giggle even more.

The tanned boy wrapped his other arm around Keith, hugging him tightly.

''Yes you are,'' he hummed. ''You're very soft, and squishy, and very huggable too.''

Keith nested his head on the crook of Lance's neck, feeling his heart beating faster.

''You know, you can hug back, Mullet-head?''

Keith huffed loudly, showing his annoyance, but still wrapped his arms around Lance's chest, Lance pulling him impossibly closer to him. Keith smiled softly against Lance's skin. He could stay in Lance's arms for the rest of his life and he'd be the happiest bloke on Earth. He hummed comfortably, enjoying the peacefulness of the moment. He felt one of Lance's hand play in his hair, sending shivers down his spine. Lance could mock his mullet all he wanted if he played with his hair as compensation. Then Lance's phone rang and ruined the mood in half a second. Keith didn't let go of Lance as the taller boy grabbed his phone and checked his messages.

''Oh, right,'' he exclaimed. ''I keep forgetting, seriously, I'll have to tattoo this on my body somewhere…''

He unwrapped his arms from around Keith, patting his back softly. Keith let out a small, unhappy whine but let go of Lance.

''I need to go take off my binder,'' he informed Keith. ''It's been over 8 hours, thanks to Hunk reminding me.''

''Oh, okay,'' Keith nodded his head. ''Thank you, Hunk.''

Lance laughed cutely, then left the room quickly. Keith took about four second to understand what happened: one second to remember what a binder was for, two seconds to make the link between the binder and Lance, then one last second to think _Oh, Lance forgot to take off his binder. That's dangerous._ Two minutes after, Lance was back, smiling widely.

''Want to watch another movie?'' he asked. ''This time, choose a scary one. The Babadook was so bad I laughed most of the time.''

''The Babadook was not bad, you just don't understand the depth of it,'' Keith replied. ''It's an indie movie showing the mental issues of a grieving widow in the denial state and her mentally ill, or severely autistic son.''

''But shit, they feed the Babadook fucking earthworms to keep it from eating the whole fucking family!'' Lance exclaimed.

''Means they accepted the death of the father, even if the void he left is still present and depression can happen any time!'' Keith retorted.

Lance raised his eyebrows.

''Okay, but did they use low-pitched Siri to do the Babadook's voice?''

''I gotta admit, that was bad,'' Keith conceded with a small smile. ''But still, the idea was really great.''

''I think they could've developed it in a better scenario. Concept was 10 on 10, but something was missing in the making.''

Keith hummed, agreeing with Lance somehow. Not because he didn't want Lance to think his opinions weren't valid, no no.

''So, what should we watch, o' Master of Horror Movies?'' Lance asked, taking the remote from beside Keith and sitting back on his spot.

''Not an horror movie, but a thriller I've heard of not long ago,'' Keith shrugged. ''It's called Don't Hang Up.''

''Oh yeah! I've seen the trailer somewhere,'' Lance spoke excitedly. ''It's on Netflix?'' Keith nodded his head. ''I didn't even know!''

He searched the name of the movie in the search bar, being impossibly slow at it.

''Plus there's Garrett Clayton playing in it,'' Keith added.

''Like, the guy from Teen Beach Movie?''

''Yeah,'' Keith rolled his eyes. ''That one.''

''So you've seen Teen Beach Movie?'' Lance smirked.

Keith didn't even try to be bothered by it.

''Yeah, well, like I said, Garrett Clayton plays in it.''

Lance laughed loudly, then started humming the lyrics to 'Surf Crazy' as he clicked on the movie on screen.

''Want some popcorn?'' he asked, pausing the movie at the very beginning.

''No, still not hungry,'' Keith replied.

''I have ketchup flavored chips.''

Keith's eyes widened at that,

''Now you got my attention,'' he smiled, wondering how Lance found out about his eternal love for ketchup chips. The chips were pretty rare in the US, the only occasion he would eat some being when he had the chance to bring some home from his trips to Canada with his family.

Lance left to go to the kitchen, Keith hearing the popcorn popping a minute or two after. He turned around on the couch to look in the kitchen, catching Lance mimicking to shoot a gun every time a 'POP' was heard. Keith giggled at that, and Lance heard him. The tall boy turned around and caught Keith's eyes, laughing as well. There was one last 'POP' and Lance mimicked to aim at Keith, Keith falling back down on the couch as if he'd been shot.

A moment after, Lance was back in the living room, still smiling, with two bowls in his hands. He gave the one with the chips in it to Keith, then sat down beside him. He clicked play on the remote before putting his arm on the couch behind Keith.

''Wanna cuddle?''

Keith looked at Lance, his mouth already full with his favorite chips. He then smiled as much as he could, nodding his head and nesting himself under Lance's arm. Lance wrapped his arm around Keith's shoulders, his hand grazing lightly Keith's arm. That sent shivers down Keith's spine, and he couldn't stop the goosebumps that appeared on his skin.

''You're cold?'' Lance whispered. ''I can get a blanket if you want.''

Keith shook his head, ''I'm fine, I just—''

He didn't have time to finish his sentence that Lance was already up, leaving the room to get a blanket. He went back with a huge, fluffy blanket and he sat back on the couch, pulling the blanket on both of them. He then wrapped his arm around Keith again, grabbed his bowl of popcorn, and started watching the movie. Keith had learned earlier that Lance was the type of person to speak during movies, even if it was quietly so. But now, he noticed that Lance talked during movies to reassure himself, commenting about everything scary that happened on screen. If it had been anyone else doing it, it would've gotten on Keith's nerves, but because it was Lance, Keith found it adorable.

''This shit's not funny, man,'' Lance whispered mostly to himself. ''They're killing people. That's not fun. People die. Death's not fun at all.''

''No it's not,'' Keith replied as quietly.

Lance looked down at Keith, then smiled when their eyes crossed. He tightened his arm around Keith, taking a deep breath, and got back to the movie. Keith did the same, leaning his head against Lance's chest and shoving more chips in his mouth. He was feeling all bubbly inside, and for once he didn't think that it was wrong feeling this way. He felt good being with Lance, and he wanted to keep it that way.

When Matt got home that night, after the conference, he found the TV still playing some adventure movie, and two boys deeply asleep, cuddling on the couch.

 

* * *

 

 

''Basically, I just need flowers to show him that I appreciate him,'' Lance told the florist in front of him.

''Oh, uh,'' the girl — Shay, Lance learned after looking at her nametag — hesitated. ''I don't really… know the meaning of flowers. I've been working here for only a few months and—''

''Okay, isn't there other people working here that could help me?'' Lance asked a bit rudely.

Hunk elbowed him in the stomach subtly for being a jackass in front of a cute girl.

''Well, there's Coran in the backyard,'' Shay didn't look convinced. ''He's the owner of the shop.''

''Well, that's who we need!'' Lance exclaimed.

''He's very busy right now, but maybe I could… go get him.''

Hunk noticed how uneasy Shay sounded.

''I could check on my phones for the meanings of flowers, and you could give Lance the ones he likes,'' he offered.

Lance looked at Hunk, then at Shay, who let out a saggy breath.

''Yeah, that'll do,'' he nodded his head. ''Where are the flowers?''

''First greenhouse, mostly,'' she replied.

''Lead us the way,'' Lance smiled.

Shay grabbed a pair of scissors and headed to the greenhouse, both boys following her.

''What I am sure of, is that roses show love,'' Shay grinned softly. ''Perhaps you'd like some for your…''

''Oh, uh, date,'' Lance informed her. ''Lotor's my date.''

Shay's eyes widened. There wasn't two Lotor in town, so she was 100% sure that Lance was talking about Nyma's right arm.

''O-okay,'' she tried to look unbothered. She really tried. ''So red roses as well as pink roses mean love. Would you like me to grab some for you?''

''Uh, no,'' Lance shook his head. ''It's too cliché. At least some unusual color, like orange or yellow.''

''Yellow roses mean friendship,'' Hunk informed his best friend. ''You wouldn't like Lotor to think you friendzoned him, right?''

''Ugh,'' Lance groaned. ''Can't I just pick pretty flowers?''

''Well, that'd be easier for both of us,'' Hunk replied, eyeing Shay. The girl nodded her head.

''Just tell me if the flower means 'I hate you so much' or, like before, 'friendzone','' Lance told Hunk before wandering in the greenhouse, looking at the multitude of flowers surrounding him.

Shay took a deep breath. Lance was making her nervous, mostly because he was one of those clients who'd be mad if you didn't give him the right flower right away.

''He's like that just because he's nervous,'' Hunk said to Shay, quietly enough so Lance wouldn't hear. ''He's seeing his date tonight, and he wanted to give him a little something, you know.''

Shay nodded her head, murmuring a soft ''Yeah''.

Hunk wanted to add something, but Lance called him from the other side of the greenhouse.

''I've found something!''

Hunk and Shay exchanged a look, then headed towards when Lance was.

''This one's pretty,'' he said, pointing a purple flower.

''Purple carnation,'' Shay told Hunk so he could search on his phone.

''Uh,'' Hunk was looking quickly on his phone, reading the meaning. ''Means capriciousness or the flower equivalent of 'Chill down, dude'.''

''Not really what you want to tell your date,'' Shay smiled apologetically. ''But if you want, I'm sure other colors of carnation would mean something more positive.''

Hunk hummed in approval, ''Like the white ones, the light red ones and the dark red ones.''

''But it's always the same color scheme! Red, pink, and white mean love. Yellow means friendship. Others mean spiritual shit like 'I hate you' or 'You suck, try again','' Lance huffed.

''If you want purple so bad, maybe they have gloxinia. They mean love at first sight,'' Hunk offered, turning to look at Shay.

He showed him the picture of the flower, but she didn't seem to recognize it.

''I'm not sure if we have it here,'' she hesitated.

''Other than that, violets mean modesty or faithfulness.''

''We do have some violets,'' Shay affirmed.

Her and Hunk looked at Lance, wondering if he'd follow their advices or just do what he pleased.

''I'd take some of that, yeah,'' Lance conceded.

''Great,'' Shay smiled, grabbing her scissors and disappearing in the greenhouse.

Hunk watched her leave with a small smile. Poor girl had to tolerate pre-date, anxious Lance, and that wasn't one easy thing to handle.

''I know that look,'' Lance whispered. ''You think she's cute.''

Hunk shrugged, still smiling.

''Well, she is,'' he admitted.

''Maybe I could get you a date, too,'' Lance wondered out loud.

Hunk didn't like the mischievous smile that appeared on Lance's face.

''You won't do anything, okay?'' he retorted.

''You can't stop me, big boy,'' Lance smirked. ''You won't stop me, I know it.''

Hunk was about to reply something when Shay came back with a few violets in her hand.

''Did you want more?'' she asked as Lance eyed the four flowers in her hand.

''No, it's perfect,'' Lance smiled. ''I was wondering, Shay…''

Hunk glared at Lance, but the tanned boy only smiled wider.

''Yes?'' Shay innocent expression showed that she was oblivious to the tension between the two best friends.

''You go to Voltron Academia, right?''

''Yes,'' Shay blushed slightly without even knowing why. ''Why?''

''Well, Hunk and I both go to it too. I think I saw you once in the food court or something,'' Lance was lying. He just wanted to play wingman for Hunk. ''What do you major in?''

''Oh, uh,'' Shay looked down at the flowers in his hands. ''I always wanted to be a chef, so I'm majoring in culinary arts.''

Lance gasped.

''Amazing! Did you know that Hunk here used to want to be a chef too?''

Shay looked up at Hunk, who was stuck between wanting to punch Lance in the guts or to at least appreciate his perseverance to find him a date.

''Really?'' she murmured.

Hunk nodded his head, slightly embarrassed.

''Yeah, well, I gave up on that dream,'' he laughed nervously. ''I only cook for fun now. Like a hobby.''

''And what he cooks is a-ma-zing,'' Lance added. ''He can do a plate worthy of a MasterChef finale with dollar store food. I think the only reason why I didn't die of famine is because he can cook tasty meals with shitty ingredients.''

''Well,'' Hunk scratched the back of his neck awkwardly. ''I do my best. It's you who does 90% of grocery shopping and spend half of our budget on tacos.''

Shay was grinning from ear to ear.

''I'd like to see what you can cook,'' she beamed. ''Maybe I could show you what I'm learning in my classes! I need to practice, but I have no one to do it with.''

''Oh, uh,'' Hunk didn't know how to react to Shay's sudden interest. ''Sure. I mean, why not? It'll be great to learn some things.''

''Cool,'' she clapped her hands, the flowers moving dangerously near her face. It reminded Lance of the gesture Allura did at least three times last time he saw her. ''I could show you how to make bread! Or how to cook a variety of meals with the same 5 ingredients! Yes!''

Her green eyes were shining bright. Her happiness was contagious, and soon Hunk and Lance were both smiling widely.

''Anyway,'' she brushed her curls out of her face. ''I'll… join you, somehow, so we can talk about it,'' she went back to her calm, serene self. ''About the flowers.''

Lance took a few seconds to remember that he wasn't in the flower shop to play Hunk's wingman in the first place.

''Right!'' he looked at the violets in Shay's hands. ''Now that I think of it, white flowers would look good with them. What do you suggest?''

''Uh,'' Shay hesitated, looking at Hunk for help.

Hunk got back to his phone, naming a few white flowers that meant something along the lines of love, beauty or admiration.

''What do daisies mean, again?'' Lance asked.

''Innocence, love, purity, or 'I'll never tell','' Hunk answered.

''Hmm, not that,'' he shook his head. ''What was it? Honeysuckle? I'll take that just because of the name.''

''Okay, I'll go get some,'' Shay smiled, glad that Lance finally made a choice.

She left them again, and as soon as she was out of sight, Lance took Hunk's arm and pulled him towards another section of the greenhouse. He looked around, making sure no one would see them, and then he grabbed a handful of small, blue flowers and cut it from the plant.

''What are you doing?'' Hunk exclaimed as Lance shushed him.  

''Stop it! I'm getting you a date,'' he replied quietly.

''No, you're getting me a one way trip to jail,'' Hunk yelled back. ''Get those back there.''

''I already cut them off the plant,'' Lance shrugged in a ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ way.

He then shove the small flowers in Hunk's hand, who quickly hid them behind his back as they heard Shay come back.

''Oh, you were looking at the Forget Me Not flowers?'' she inquired. ''You could add some to your bouquet.''

''Oh, no, I just want to give Lotor a little something, it's going to be—''

He stopped talking when a tall, mustached man entered in the room, practically yelling nonsense. Hunk jumped, startled, as Lance hid behind his best friend.

''W-what's wrong, Coran?'' Shay asked, panicked.

Coran was yelling too loudly to hear what Shay had asked, so Hunk repeated what she said, louder.

''What's wrong?'' he exclaimed.

''I messed up guys, Shay, I fucked up,'' Coran shouted, hiding under a table.

Shay's eyes widened. If Coran was swearing, he really did fuck up. Probably really bad.

''Is something going to explode?'' Hunk cried out.

''Is Russia invading?'' Lance squealed.

''Coran,'' Shay kneeled in front of the table. ''What happened?''

Coran took a whole minute to regain control of himself. He stood up from under the table, brushing dust from his clothes.

''I just want you to swear to not call the police,'' he warned, then looked at Lance and Hunk. ''You two, too.''

''Oh God, who did he kill?'' Lance whimpered.

''Okay, stay calm, guys,'' Shay said, her voice firm. ''It's probably not that bad. Is it?''

''No, no, no one is dead,'' Coran reassured them.

Lance let out a deep breath, still grabbing Hunk's arm with an iron grip.

''Then what happened?'' Shay asked. ''Why were you screaming like that?''

''See, I was taking care of my sprouts earlier, watering them and fertilizing them, when I noticed that one of them wasn't like the others,'' Coran was moving his arms all around him, nearly knocking off a few plants. ''I accidentally grew pot! In the Winnebago! I'm gonna get arrested and end my life in jail!''

''You mean, there's weed growing in the Winnebago?'' Shay asked.

Coran nodded his head.

''The seed must've mixed with other,'' he mumbled. ''I knew I shouldn't trust that lady in the alley.''

''You bought seeds from a sketchy lady in an alley and you're surprised it's weed?'' Lance exclaimed. ''Now that you've told us, we're accomplices! I don't want to end up in jail too!''

''No one's gonna end in jail because no one else will know, alright?'' Hunk spoke clearly. ''We just have to get rid of the plant.''

''How?'' Shay asked.

''We could just smoke it all,'' Lance suggested.

That earned him three glares.

''We have fucking pot in the backyard, our time is running out!'' Coran exclaimed. ''What if the neighbor saw me with the plant?''

''What do you mean? Isn't it in the Winnebago?'' Shay asked, starting to panic.

''No! I didn't want my other plants to see it!'' Coran retorted. ''It's in the backyard.''

''Oh my God, I'm gonna end up in jail,'' Lance cried.

''Go get it!'' Shay shouted to Coran.

The ginger man ran out of the room.

''I'm gonna text Pidge. They'll know what to do,'' Lance murmured, grabbing his phone and quickly texting their friend.

''What?'' Shay looked at Lance, then saw the phone in his hands. ''No! Don't tell anyone! We don't need more people in this mess!''

Hunk panicked and slapped Lance's hands. Lance dropped the phone, but the message was already sent.

''I'm sorry!'' Lance whined. ''I panicked.''

The phone on the floor buzzed, all three people looking down at it.

''They're coming, they said,'' Hunk read the answer.

''They don't have a car, it'll take them nearly an hour to get here. By then we'll be in jail,'' Lance whispered.

Coran got back in the room with a two feet tall plant.

''How come you never realize it was pot before that?'' Lance asked, voice high-pitched. ''It's fucking huge!''

''Well I thought it was something else, which it wasn't,'' Coran justified.

''No time for yelling, guys, what should we do?'' Shay stared at the plant with fear, as if it was going to call the police by itself.

''I say we just smoke it all! It's gonna be gone after that!'' Lance suggested again.

Hunk groaned.

''That's not a good idea, Lance!'' he retorted. ''Someone could smell the fumes, or see us high and that'll blow our cover!''

''Remember we didn't do anything wrong,'' Coran pointed out.

''You grew pot in your Winnebago!'' Hunk and Lance exclaimed angrily.

''But not on purpose!'' Coran retorted.

''As if anyone would believe that!'' Lance shouted back.

The doorbell rang softly, all people in the room turning around to see Pidge and Keith get in.

''Why did you have to bring Keith with you?'' Lance asked. ''No offence, Keith.''

''How could I not take offence in that?'' Keith replied. ''I drove Pidge here. They don't have a driver's license. Last thing I heard, you asked them to come here.''

''Yeah, well,'' Lance didn't have any good comeback. ''Shut up, Mullet.''

''Okay, okay, enough here,'' Pidge sighed. ''What's going on?''

Everybody started talking at the same time, Lance pointing his finger at Coran as Coran was waving all around, crying out loud.

''One at a time,'' Pidge pleaded.

Shay raised her hand, as all the others stopped talking.

''Coran accidentally grew pot,'' she pointed the plant on the counter, ''and now we don't want to end up in jail. And since you two now know, you could be accomplices if we don't get rid of the plant.''

''Wow,'' Pidge pushed their glasses further on their nose.

''Just burn the plant,'' Keith blurted out.

''That's an awful plan, stupid head!'' Lance retorted, crossing his arms on his chest. ''The fumes would be smelled miles around, and we would probably get high from them anyways. Bravo genius, we'd still end up in jail.''

''Well, sorry for trying!'' Keith snapped back. ''At least I'm trying!''

''I tried too!'' Lance shouted back.

''Oh yeah? What did you say?'' Keith spat.

''Shut up, guys,'' Hunk whined.

Lance raised his arms in the air, as if the situation was unfair.

''Why don't we just kill the plant?'' Pidge suggested.

Everyone in the room stared at them.

''Oh my God,'' Shay breathed. ''Kill the plant. Jesus.''

''We're stupid,'' Coran sighed.

He left the room to go get some weed-killer, leaving the others to just stare at Pidge like they were a genius.

''Well, that was easy,'' they joked. ''What were you two doing here anyway?''

''Oh, uh, buying flowers,'' Lance answered vaguely. ''For Lotor. I'm seeing him tonight.''

Pidge side-glanced at Keith, who looked even grumpier than before.

''Now that I'm here,'' they took a deep breath. ''I'll go check for some succulents and cacti for my room.''

''Oh, I'll go with you,'' Hunk chimed in. ''I wanted to buy some plant for my room too.''

Lance and Keith watched as they left for the second greenhouse.

''Would you like to finish your bouquet?'' Shay asked Lance.

''Oh, uh, sure,'' he nodded his head, then looked at the flowers Shay had picked up. They were on the floor; she had dropped them in the mess of the situation.

''I'm gonna go get some new, they're all dirty and messed up,'' she threw the flowers on the counter, then headed to the first greenhouse.

Lance glanced at Keith, who was still avoiding to look at him.

''Wanna come help me?'' he asked softly.

Keith shrugged his shoulders harshly.

''I'm sorry for yelling at you,'' Lance continued. ''I was... I was panicking and I took it out on you.''

Keith didn't reply, still avoiding to look at him.

''And I'm sorry for calling you stupid head,'' Lance pouted. ''You were just trying to help.''

Keith crossed his arms on his chest. Lance had seen him do it so many times it was almost funny.

''C'mon buddy,'' Lance approached him, putting both of his hands on Keith's shoulders. ''Would you forgive me?''

Keith shrugged again. Lance thought for a second to find a way to make Keith smile.

''Okay, I have a secret to tell you,'' Lance said mysteriously. ''But you have to listen carefully.''

Keith's curiosity won against his broodiness, and he finally looked at the tall boy in front of him.

''Come closer,'' Lance whispered, doing a 'come here' motion with his pointer finger. He then approached his mouth of Keith's ear, whispering lowly in his ear. ''Baba dook dook dook.''

Keith pushed Lance's face away, giggling. Lance laughed loudly, wrapping his arms around Keith's neck and hugging him tightly.

''You're the worst,'' Keith mumbled, his face squished against Lance's shoulder.

''Can't hear your negativity up here, Keithy-cat,'' Lance giggled. ''Now, come on, I need your help with the flowers.''

He loosened his grip around Keith, staring down into his eyes with a bright smile. Keith nodded his head, his cheeks turning slightly pink. Just looking at Lance made him feel a giddy inside.

They headed towards the first greenhouse, just as Shay was coming back with violets and honeysuckles in her hands.

''Great,'' she smiled. ''Do you have an idea of what you want next?''

Lance looked at Keith, waiting for the smaller boy to choose.

''Oh,'' Keith got the hint. ''Uh, daisies are pretty.''

''Daisies?'' Lance repeated.

''Well… it's my favorite flower, so I guess I'd like to receive some.''

Lance smiled softly at that.

''Do you have daisies?'' he asked Shay.

''Uh, sadly no,'' she said apologetically. ''We should receive more by the end of the week, but we don't have daisies right now. Sorry.''

Lance sighed, clearly disappointed.

''Okay, well,'' he glanced at Keith, who was biting his bottom lip absentmindedly. ''Maybe add a white lily or two with that, please.''

''Okay, I'm on it,'' Shay beamed. ''You can go wait at the counter, it's less warm and humid there.''

''Alright, will do,'' Lance smiled back. ''Thanks.''

He then turned to face Keith.

''What did you think of the bouquet? I know it's small, but like…'' he didn't look as confident as he usually was. ''Would you… What would you think of a bouquet like that? Would you like to receive something like that?''

''Yeah… I'd love to,'' Keith murmured, avoiding looking at Lance's face because he knew he looked sad, even if he didn't want to be.

Lance frowned, pouting slightly. It's been a few times he noticed that Keith was sad when he talked about dating or relationships. Lance looked around them, then saw a flower that looked like a bundle of little yellow bells. He grabbed a branch from the plant, breaking it from it, and handed it to Keith with a smile.

''Cheer up, buttercup,'' he said softly.

''You can't just steal flowers like that, Lance,'' Keith replied, still taking the stem with all the flowers dangling around his hand.

''It's not stolen, it's a gift that I'm giving you,'' Lance retorted with a playful smile on his lips. ''I'll pay for it, don't worry.''

Keith felt his cheeks warming up.

''Thank you, Lance,'' he smiled weakly.

''It's really my pleasure,'' Lance winked, wrapping his arm around Keith's shoulders.

He then guided him outside the greenhouse, heading to the counter. Coran was spraying the pot plant with weed-killer, muttering insults under his breath.

''Why don't you just cut it and leave it to die?'' Lance asked the ginger man.

''But the roots could still make the plant regrow,'' Keith remarked.

''Well, cut the plant and burn the root, or just remove them from the dirt and they'll die, no?'' Lance tried.

Coran put down the prayer, then played with his mustache as he was thinking.

''Well, that's a good idea, young boy,'' he admitted. ''It's better than intoxicating this whole room with fumes from weed-killer.''

Keith felt Lance's whole body straighten with pride. The smaller boy looked up to see Lance's wide smile, and he could not not smile back at him. The boy looked so proud of himself for being told he was right. Keith really didn't doubt Lance had a praise kink.

''Good job,'' Keith practically purred, making Lance's cheeks turn red.

''I- well- it's just,'' Lance stuttered out, then pulled himself together. ''It's better than your idea to burn the whole plant and drugging us all.''

Keith laughed cutely, not taking offence in that. Shay came back right after with the finished bouquet in her hands.

''So? Are you happy with the result?'' she asked.

''Yeah, it's beautiful,'' Lance smiled, watching as Shay wrapped the bouquet with paper and ribbons.

Coran cut the plant beside them on the counter, then took the rest of the plant out of the dirt. He threw the two parts in the broom closet behind the counter, then locked it.

''Mission P.O.T. accomplished,'' he whispered secretly. ''The subject should die by itself in a couple of days. Until then, the closet must remain closed in all time.''

Pidge and Hunk, who were sitting on the bench in the entrance with a few small plants in their arms, laughed loudly at that.

''Anyway,'' Shay sighed, a tired smile on her lips. ''I'm gonna calculate the pricing. Won't be long.''

Lance took his arm off Keith's shoulder to grab his wallet and pay for the bouquet. Keith, noticing he wasn't needed there anymore, joined Pidge and Hunk, twirling the stem in his hand, the small flowers flowing around softly.

''Pretty flower you've got right here,'' Pidge commented. ''Lance gave it to you?''

Keith nodded his head, smiling shyly.

''I think I've seen something like that when I was searching for the meaning of flowers earlier,'' Hunk commented, taking his phone out. ''Lemme search.''

Keith chew on his bottom lip nervously. What if the flower meant rejection? What if the flower meant something really bad, or embarrassing?

''So,'' Hunk cleared his throat. ''It's an acacia. It's a symbol of elegance and friendship. Means that the giver really cares about the receiver.''

''Lance didn't know that,'' Keith immediately replied. ''He just grabbed it and gave it to me. It doesn't mean anything.''

''Do you think that if he knew what the flower was and what it meant, he wouldn't have given it to you?'' Pidge asked.

Keith hesitated. He wanted to believe that Lance meant it, but a pessimistic voice in his head kept repeating that no, Lance wouldn't have given him the flower.

''You know, accidents sometimes happen for a reason,'' Hunk added. ''And I think Lance would've given it to you anyway. He didn't shut up about you since your little sleepover the other night.''

Keith smiled at that, then he felt a hand on his shoulder and he jumped, startled. He turned around to see Coran standing there, looking at the acacia in his hand.

''Yellow acacia,'' the older man said dreamily. ''Friendship, yes, but can also mean beauty and concealed love, precisely with the yellow flower.''

''I don't think—'' Keith blushed, his grip on the flower tightening.

Coran winked, then left the room without adding anything. Keith wanted to look at Pidge and have them over-analyze everything together, but the presence of Hunk kept him from talking. Instead, he just stared at the flower with hope.

Hunk noticed Keith's insistent glances at Pidge. He stood up and joined Lance at the front desk, leaving Keith and Pidge alone. He still had the Forget Me Not in his hand, even if he didn't really know what to do with it. Lance was finishing the transaction, humming happily.

''Happy with what you bought?'' Hunk asked, looking at the bouquet in Shay's hands.

''Oh yeah,'' Lance smiled. ''I hope he'll like it.''

''He will, don't worry,'' Hunk patted Lance's shoulder softly.

Lance put his card back in his wallet, then shoved it in his back pocket. Shay gave him the bouquet with a smile, then looked at Hunk.

''So,'' she ran her fingers in her hair. ''Do you still want me to teach you some cooking tricks and stuff?''

Lance turned his back to Shay, wiggling his eyebrows at his best friend.

''Yeah, yeah, of course,'' Hunk nodded his head, an easy smile stretching his lips.

''Great,'' Shay grabbed a piece of paper and a pen. ''You could… write your phone number so we could plan something.''

''Okay,'' Hunk took the pen in his left hand, looking at the flower in his right.

''Shay!'' Coran called the girl from another room. ''Come here, I need your help. I think I've discovered a new species of dandelion.''

Shay hesitated, looking at Hunk, then at where Coran's voice was from.

''I-,'' she took a deep breath. ''Alright, I'm coming.''

Hunk wrote his name and his phone number on the paper, then noticed that Shay was gone.

''C'mon, we need to go,'' Lance said softly, grabbing Hunk's arm and pulling him towards the door.

Hunk left the Forget Me Not on the small paper, then followed his best friend out of the building, where Pidge and Keith were waiting for them.

 

* * *

 

 

''Okay, choose one quiz between 'How brave are you, really?', 'Who hurt you?', and 'What kind of garbage are you?','' Pidge looked down at Keith from where they were sitting on Keith's bed.

Keith took the paintbrush from his mouth, humming quietly.

''Let's try to see what kind of garbage I am,'' he snickered.

''Okay,'' Pidge clicked on the Buzzfeed quiz. ''Ready?''

Keith nodded his head, dipping his paintbrush in yellow paint.

''First, pick a rainbow,'' they turned the laptop so Keith could see the images.

''The fourth one,'' he immediately said. ''Because it's the less straight one of them all.''

Pidge laughed as they clicked on the image.

''Second question, you have to pick a unicorn,'' they showed the screen to Keith again.

''Fifth one looks gayer, I choose it,'' Keith mumbled, painting cautiously on his canvas.

''Hmm,'' Pidge agreed, clicking on the image again. ''Third question, pick a baby.''

''Uh,'' Keith frowned. ''That's a weird question.''

''Just choose one, Keith, it's a Buzzfeed quiz.''

Keith rolled his eyes, then looked at the screen.

''Fifth one because he looks like he's about to cry and I can relate.''

''Okay,'' Pidge laughed, passing to the next question. ''You have to pick a ray of sunshine. Before you ask, Lance's not there.''

''Ha ha ha,'' Keith deadpanned, looking at the screen. ''The first one.''

''Of course you choose the red one,'' Pidge commented. ''Now, pick a trash bag.''

''Second one. Dunno why, it calls me,'' Keith replied.

Pigde clicked on the second image, then read the result out loud.

''Apparently, you are a sad soda can. 'A little crumpled, but tough and durable. Just doing your thing'.''

''Wow, these Buzzfeed quizzes are getting creepily good a guessing who I truly am,'' Keith snorted. ''Now, do the 'Who hurt you?' one. I want to know who hurt you.''

''Okay,'' Pidge chuckled, going back and clicking on the said quiz. As they took it, Keith went back to his painting.

He had a lot of finished canvas around him, but he didn't get the right vibe out of them so he was trying again and again to paint something he'd be proud of.

''Okay, so I got the result,'' Pidge announced. They waited until Keith finished a stroke to talk again. ''It's Sharon. She hurt me and she found another man.''

''How dare she,'' Keith spat. ''I'm gonna find her and I'm gonna fight her.''

Pidge burst out laughing, quickly followed by Keith.

''Hey Keith, I got a question,'' Pidge said after a moment.

''Hmm?'' Keith didn't look away from his painting.

''How do you feel about Lance?''

Keith froze for a second.

''You know how I feel, I like him,'' he answered, a little bit confused.

''No, that I know,'' Pidge nodded their head. ''I want to know how you feel about him... and everything. Like how do you feel about that sleepover? How do you feel about him dating Lotor? How do you feel about him trying desperately to find you someone?''

''I… I don't want to talk about this,'' Keith gulped. ''I'm just… confused and lost. He's so sweet and he does care about me, but at the same time it hurts. It's stupid. I don't even know him that well. And he doesn’t know me at all.''

Pidge hummed, then got off the bed to join Keith on the floor.

''I think you two are closer than you'd like to admit,'' they said softly, looking at all the canvas around them. ''And I think you just need to stop worrying and enjoy every moment you have with him. After all, he's your friend. You can have fun with him and make memories. It doesn't have to hurt all the time. Are you hurt when you're with him?''

Keith hesitated, then shook his head.

''Just when he talks about… Lotor,'' he mumbled. ''Most of the time, I feel great with him. He's funny and gives really good hugs.''

Keith smiled weakly at that.

''Anyways, you're right,'' he nodded his head. ''I'm gonna stop being sorry for myself because it's neither his fault nor mine if I have a crush on him.''

''And you're going to feel better if you think that way,'' Pidge added.

Keith hummed, going back at his painting. Pidge watched him curiously, noticing that there was a similar pattern between his current painting and all the finished ones on the floor.

''There's a lot of yellow flowers in there,'' they commented. ''And a very recurrent tanned, blue-eyed boy as well.''

''Yeah, well, I like the colors together,'' Keith mumbled, a blush creeping on his neck.

Pidge noticed how Keith's chest turned red as well, thanks to Keith's mesh crop top for hiding nothing.

''Don't try to fool me, Keith,'' Pidge snickered. ''You even paint his freckles and the beauty mark under his left eye.''

Keith didn't reply to that, concentrating on his painting instead. He was painting yellow flowers where the mouth of his character — who was totally not Lance, okay? — should be.

''Hanahaki,'' Pidge murmured, mostly to themselves.

''Hanaha what?'' Keith frowned.

''Hanahaki,'' Pidge repeated, louder this time. ''It's a fictional disease, or illness, where the one who suffers from Hanahaki has flowers taking roots in their lungs if they ever suffer from one-sided love. They cough and throw up flowers, petals or even vines, depending on the flower growing in their lungs.''

''That's…'' Keith stared at his painting, ''aesthetically morbid.''

''Also patients whose love gets rejected get to either get the plant removed from their body or they die of it.''

Keith put his paintbrush down, a serious frown on his face.

''I hope Lance is treated well by Lotor,'' he spoke quietly, barely audibly. ''That he gets the happiness and the attention he deserves. Last thing I want is for Lance to suffer. If Lotor ever do something wrong I'm gonna tear that bitch apart and—''

''Okay, calm down, you sound like fandom-Captain American when Bucky gets all brainwashed,'' Pidge smiled softly. ''Trust me, if something ever happens to Lance, there'll be Hunk, Matt, you, and I to protect him and avenge him. But that didn't happen yet, don't go all pessimistic already.''

''Okay but if Lance cries, somebody _will_ die.''

Pidge hesitated, then nodded their head.

''I'll give you that, no one wants to see happy Lance being saddy Lance.''

Keith nodded his head firmly.

''Alright,'' Pidge knew it was time to change the subject, Keith was getting all moody. ''Wanna do some more quizzes?''

''Yeah,'' Keith's smile immediately came back on his face. '' I wanna do the—''

There was a loud slam, that the two of them recognized as the front door being opened violently. Pidge and Keith looked at each other with wide eyes, wondering who could come back home around 3 in the morning. Keith got out of the room first, Pidge behind him, and he headed towards the front door quietly and impossible slowly. Shiro was there too, with only one arm and a broom in his hand.

When they arrived in front of the opened door, Allura was there, clearly not sober, standing against the doorframe. A small blonde girl was behind her, trying to get her to enter in the apartment.

''Can somebody help me?'' the blonde girl growled. ''I'm way too drunk to do this myself.''

Shiro shoved the broom in Keith's hands, then grabbed Allura by the waist. The white-haired girl giggled nonsense, leaning against Shiro instead of the doorframe.

''Now can I know what's going on?'' Shiro asked seriously.

''Yikes,'' the smaller girl winced. ''Men. Always there to ruin girl's fun.''

Shiro left eye ticked as he quickly lost patience.

''What is going on?'' he repeated.

''Calm down, buddy,'' the girl huffed. ''I'm Nyma. I took dear Allura here on a magic trip tonight, and now I'm bringing her back,'' she waved at Allura, who giggled even more. ''She's just a little drunk, and she might've smoked something but hey, she's a real party girl and she's just having fun.''

Allura nodded her head.

''It was fun, really fun,'' she smiled. ''But now I'm sleepy.''

''You're going to get some sleep, don't worry,'' Shiro told his best friend, sighing heavily. ''And if you don't mind leaving now, Nyma, that'd be the right time.''

The blonde girl sighed as well.

''Alright,'' she raised herself on her tiptoes, leaving a kiss on Allura's cheek. ''Goodnight, pretty girl.''

''Says the pretty girl,'' Allura rolled her eyes, still smiling.

Nyma winked, then left the apartment, closing the door behind her. Keith turned on the light of the living room, putting the broom on the couch out of laziness.

''I'm gonna help Allura to get to bed, okay?'' Shiro told Pidge and Keith, a tired expression on his face. ''Go get some sleep, you two.''

''Sure thing, dad,'' Pidge smirked.

Keith snorted at that, then stopped laughing when Shiro shot him a glare. Keith sighed, grabbing Pidge's arm and pulling them to his room. He threw himself on his bed starfish-mode, nearly knocking off Pidge's laptop. Pidge sat on the bed, avoiding to crushing one of Keith's limbs.

''So,'' they pushed their glasses up on their nose. ''Want to do more quizzes and learn which Minion we are?''

''Oh,'' Keith yawned, turning himself around to look at Pidge. ''Sign me the fuck up.''

Turns out Keith is Stuart, the innocent and optimistic one, and Pidge is Bob, the one that apparently craves attention.

''Can't believe you picked bananas as your favorite food,'' Pidge laughed. ''And you picked 'bottom' as your favorite quote?''

''What can I say? These pretty much sum up who I am,'' Keith giggled.

Pidge made a gagging sound, disgusted.

''Oh, yeah,'' Keith was laughing even louder. ''That too.''

Pidge groaned, smacking Keith's leg as the boy kept laughing more and more, clearly proud of his humor.

''You're disgusting,'' Pidge muttered. ''You and your gay-self are disgusting me. I hate you.''

Keith sat up on the bed, forcing Pidge in his arms and hugging them tightly.

''I love you too, Pidgey-Pidge!''

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like how I develop the characters! The main ships in this story are Klance (obvs) and MattxShiro (I refuse to call it Shatt), so sorry if we don't see as much development between the other characters than these four!  
> Tell me if you'd like to see one character get more spotlight in particular!
> 
> \--
> 
> If you want to do the Buzzfeed quizzes :  
> Who Hurt You? www.buzzfeed.com/angelospagnolo/who-hurt-you  
> What Kind Of Garbage Are You? www.buzzfeed.com/joannaborns/what-kind-of-garbage-are-you
> 
> Tell me the results in the comments I'm curious!:') (I didn't put the minions one because I personally hate minions)
> 
> \--
> 
> Thank you SO MUCH for the kudos, the views, the bookmarks and the comments! They mean SO MUCH to me! 
> 
> Kudos if you enjoyed this chapter, I always appreciate reading what you have to say in the comments! <3


	9. Mauve

''So, we need to bring something too,'' Pidge told Keith.

They were both looking into their nearly empty fridge in despair.

''I brought Capri Sun and chips last week,'' Pidge sighed. ''But now we have nothing.''

''Wait, you brought my Capri Sun? These are mine!'' Keith retorted, offended.

''Yeah well Lance really appreciated them.''

Keith immediately lost his angry expression, ''He did?''

Pidge smirked, nodding their head. They then went back at looking at what they could bring to the Game Night.

''I guess we could bring some of my Capri Sun,'' Keith offered. ''And I know where Shiro hides his chocolate bars.''

''This house is full of snitches, I love it,'' Pidge snickered. ''Go grab the chocolate, I'll take the drinks.''

Keith saluted Pidge, then left to Shiro's room. Luckily, his brother was working that night, so he was able to enter his room and search in his secret stash to steal five chocolate bars. He got back to the living room, where Pidge was waiting with a plastic bag full of Capri Sun. He put the chocolate in the bag, then sighed.

''On a scale of one to ten,'' he asked, ''how would you rate my outfit?''

''Why? Scared Lance won't notice you?'' Pidge teased. ''I'd say 8 out of ten. You lost two points because you're wearing the same top as yesterday and that's nasty.''

''Lance won't know, plus I like this shirt,'' Keith replied. ''It's not my fault if we went to sleep at 6AM and I had a class at 8. I didn't have time to get dressed.''

''You're a dirty liar, Keith Kogane,'' Pidge laughed. ''You're wearing that top because you know you look good in it and that Lance will have a full view of your abs.''

Keith looked down at his belly.

''Do you think it's too much?''

''No,'' Pidge poked his stomach. ''I told you, you look great. Now let's go, they're probably waiting for us.''

Keith nodded his head, and they both got out of the apartment, not bothering to put on shoes because they were going two stories up only. Pidge knocked three times before the door opened on a smiling Lance. The world seemed to stop as Keith stared at the tanned boy in front of him. Lance was wearing a white cropped sweater with a powder blue skirt and white thigh highs.

''Hey guys!'' Lance exclaimed, eyes shining bright.

Keith tried to reply, but he was too stunned to say something coherent so he just smiled at Lance.

''Hi Lance,'' Pidge smiled. ''You're looking gorgeous. That highlighter's poppin'. You know that we're only playing video games, right?''

''Thanks! It's the first time I try it out. I didn't know if it'd look too frosty but I'm happy with the result,'' Lance beamed. ''And I know we're only playing games, but I think I should look good all the time, you know,'' he eyed Keith for a second, still smiling, ''just in case.''

''And where did you get that cute skater skirt?'' Pidge continued, discreetly elbowing Keith in the stomach so he'd stop staring at Lance like that.

''Oh, it was my sister's,'' Lance moved his hips, making the skirt twirl softly. ''She gave it to me last time I went to see her in Arkansas. She said blue suited me well.''

''She's right,'' Pidge affirmed. ''Your legs look amazing,'' they noticed how Lance's eyes went from their face to Keith's toned chest, then back at Pidge's face. They also noticed how pink Lance's cheeks turned, and it was not from his blush. ''We brought some food, where should I put it?''

''Hunk and Matt are in the kitchen, they'll tell you,'' Lance told them. ''I'm glad to see you again!''

Pidge nodded their head, then got in the apartment.

''Eh,'' Keith cleared his throat. ''Blue does suit you well.''

Lance giggled, then threw himself in Keith's arms, hugging him as close as possible. Keith hugged him back, and he couldn't help but smile.

''How are you going?'' Lance whispered. ''You look stunning today.''

''T-thanks,'' Keith stuttered out. One of his hands was on Lance's back, between the hem of the skirt and his shirt, and _jeez_ , his skin was so smooth. ''I'm great, I'm glad you invited me here tonight.''

''I'm glad you came here tonight,'' Lance replied, leaving a soft kiss on Keith's cheek. Keith felt the stickiness of Lance's gloss stay on his skin. ''I'm getting your introverted ass out of your room, see?''

The tanned boy looked at Keith's face with a proud smile.

''I knew I could convince broody-emo-Keef to get out of the darkness,'' he giggled.

''I'm not emo,'' Keith retorted, grinning nonetheless. ''I used to be emo, but that's part of the past.''

''Are you sure about that?'' Lance raised one eyebrow, earning a soft push from Keith. ''Wait, wait.''

His face turned into a concentrated frown as he examined Keith's face. He put one hand under the smaller boy's chin, turning his head softly to the left.

''You've got… paint on your face,'' he murmured. ''Yellow paint.''

He started wiping Keith's jaw with his thumb, mostly as a reflex because that's what he does when his youngest niece gets all dirty from crafting.

''Oh, uh, yeah,'' Keith cleared his throat, not knowing where to look. Lance's face was so close to his. ''I might've stayed up late painting last night.''

''Y'know, Keith,'' Lance was trying to get off the dried paint with his nail, scratching softly. ''I really really really really want to see your art. It must be really good, I'm sure it is.''

Keith mentally pictured Lance seeing all these paintings with him on them and, nope, Keith didn't like that. It could either end really badly or really _really_ badly.

''Yeah, well, no,'' Keith cringed.

''Why?'' Lance dropped his hand, losing his smile.

''I just,'' Keith didn't know how to say it not rudely. ''No. I don't like when people see my art.''

Lance looked crestfallen, if not heartbroken. Keith wanted to add something, to clarify that it didn't have anything to do with Lance, but the tanned boy brought a smile back on his face. A smile that didn't quite reached his eyes, but a smile nonetheless.

''It's okay… it's your art, your choice.''

Keith nodded his head, a weird feeling in his guts. He liked making Lance smile, and he loved making him laugh, but seeing him sad because of him? No.

''I-I guess I could show you my portfolio,'' what Keith meant by 'portfolio' was 'art that I've chosen and that wouldn't risk you to think I'm a creep for drawing you

everywhere'. But of course Lance didn't know that.

''If you don't mind, I'd really like that,'' Lance's iconic grin was back. ''Now come in, I need your help to choose the game we'll be playing tonight.''

Keith stepped in the apartment, immediately sensing the mouth-watering smell of whatever Hunk was cooking.

''Hi Keith!'' Hunk exclaimed, waving at him from the kitchen. ''Glad you came tonight, I'm trying one of my nana's recipes!''

''Smells nice,'' Keith smiled.

''Hope it'll taste as good as it smells,'' Matt snickered, then approached Keith, stretching a hand in front of him. ''I'm Matt, aka Pidge's annoying brother. I've heard about you,'' he shamelessly eyed Lance in an accusing way, ''a lot.''

 ''Well,'' Keith shook Matt's hand firmly. ''So have I.''

Matt gasped, which made both Lance and Keith giggle.

''Right, you're Shiro's brother!'' Matt remembered. ''He told you about me? What did he say?''

Lance wrapped one arm around Keith's shoulders, both boys exchanging A Look™.

''He says you smell like beef,'' Lance blurted out.

''No,'' Keith laughed cutely. ''He thinks you're a really nice person, and a really good friend.''

Matt was beaming.

''Great,'' he smiled. ''Amazing, even. Anyway, I'm going to go back in the kitchen where I am needed—''

''No you're not,'' Pidge retorted.

''— and you two can go choose the game,'' Matt ignored their sibling for their own sake. ''And Lance?''

''Hmm?''

''No Just Dance.''

Lance let out the most annoyed sigh Keith has ever heard.

''Why? It's so unfair!'' Lance whined, continuing even after Matt left the room. ''You never let me play Just Dance! It's not fun dancing alone!'' he leaded Keith to the living room, where their games were. ''I always play their games and they never let me choose mines.''

The tanned boy let himself fall on his butt on the floor, crossing his arms and pouting. Keith kneeled beside him, noticing that the games were in the TV stand in front of them.

''Maybe it's because they know you'll beat them at it,'' he tried.

''Well, it's true that I'm pretty good at it,'' Lance conceded. ''But Hunk's got moves too! He just doesn't like to dance in general.''

''I used to dance,'' Keith told Lance. ''Like hip hop, breakdance, stuff like that.''

''That's amazing!'' Lance exclaimed, uncrossing his arms. ''Why did you stop? I'm sure you were great!''

Keith shrugged.

''At the end, I was doing it out of spite, there wasn't any passion left,'' he looked down at his hands. ''I was dancing only to prove myself, to prove that I was great at something.''

''Aww, that's so sad,'' Lance pouted. ''Why did you need to prove yourself? Who told you you weren't great at something? I'm gonna fight them.''

Keith smiled at that, shaking his head.

''No one, it's just that weird thing I have in my brain,'' he felt Lance stroke his back reassuringly. ''I feel like I always have to prove myself. To show that I'm worth it.''

''Hmm,'' Lance nodded his head slowly. ''Well, I have to tell you, you are worth it. Worth every of it. All of it.''

The smile he gave Keith made his stomach flutter.

''We should really pick a game,'' Keith chuckled softly.

''Yep, something that is not Just Dance,'' Lance added.

''Yeah,'' Keith smiled. ''What do you want to play, other than Just Dance?''

''Well, other than Just Dance,'' Lance was cracking up, ''I really like to play Super Mario Bros because I know I'm not totally useless in it.''

''Unlike in Just Dance, where you are totally not useless,'' Keith giggled.

''Exactly, you really get me, do you?'' Lance winked, laughing as well. ''What do you want to play?''

Keith took a look at the variety of games in front of him.

''I'm fine with Super Mario Bros,'' he picked the game from one of the shelves. ''I'm shit at it, but it's going to be funny seeing everyone rage.''

''That's the spirit, my dude,'' Lance grinned, standing back up. ''Matt's the worst. He once punched me in the guts just so I would lose. I mean, he didn't have to do that, I would’ve lost anyway. That was just plain mean.''

He held out a hand to help Keith standing up, even if the smaller guy didn't really need help.

''I feel like that’s one of the Holt characteristics,'' Keith snorted. ''Being mean and loving peas. That's it.''

''Oh my God,'' Lance exclaimed. ''Pidge's got that weird obsession on peas too?''

Keith nodded his head, glancing behind him to be sure the little gremlin wouldn't hear.

''They eat peas directly from the can,'' he whispered.

''Matt eats frozen peas still frozen like it's some small popsicle,'' Lance winced, disgusted.

Keith shivered at the thoughts. Their friends were sure strange people.

''So?'' Matt entered in the living room. ''Have you chosen the game yet or you're too busy gossiping behind our backs?''

''Oh, it's nothing you don't know,'' Lance smirked.

''We chose the game,'' Keith added. ''Super Mario Bros.''

''You convinced him?'' Matt asked Lance, annoyed. ''I hate this game!''

Lance brushed invisible dust from his shoulder.

''What can I say, I can be pretty persuasive,'' he wiggled his eyebrows.

''What did you do? Pay him?'' Matt scoffed. ''Offered him your left kidney?''

''Nothing of that, just my good looks and boom,'' he made finger guns in Keith's direction, winking, ''he's convinced. Super Mario Bros that is.''

Matt snorted loudly, as Keith giggled at that.

''That's not going to convince anybody,'' Matt retorted.

''Yeah, it's pathetic,'' Keith commented, making Lance gasp out loud.

''What the fuck, Keith!'' he exclaimed. ''You're supposed to be on my side! We're best bros! How could you do this to me?''

''Sorry, Lance,'' Matt snapped his fingers sassily. ''But gays assemble, that's just how it is. Birds of a feather flock together.''

Lance couldn't believe he was being played like that.

''How do you even know he's gay?''

''He's wearing a mesh crop top with pants that are shaping his ass like it's a second skin, how could I even believe he's a heterosexual?'' Matt replied, making Keith's whole face turn red when Lance's eyes fell on his ass.

''True that,'' Lance admitted. ''But he could've been anything else but het, or even just someone comfortable in their own skin.''

''Okay, I totally get that, but Pidge had told me he was gay beforehand,'' Matt retorted.

''Okay, jeez, no need to make such a big deal out of it,'' Keith sighed. ''And Lance, stop staring at my ass.''

Lance rolled his eyes, looking away.

''What can I say, you do have a nice butt, Kogane,'' he smirked.

Keith pushed Lance away from him, smiling nonetheless.

''At least I have a butt,'' he replied. ''Yours is a flat as a plank.''

Lance choked on his own breath, as Matt burst out laughing.

''Get fucking wrecked,'' Matt wheezed out.

Lance grabbed his own ass, looking hurt, and shocked.

''How dare you? I know it's small, but it's not flat! I haven't followed Kendall Jenner's stomach, legs, and butt work out for nothing!''

''I don't want to be the one telling you that but,'' Keith patted Lance's shoulder softly, ''Kendall Jenner's ass isn't the bubbliest butt out there.''

''Stop,'' Matt was nearly crying of laughter. ''Stop, you're gonna kill him.''

''Well,'' Lance wanted to reply something, but he didn't find anything to say.

Keith was still patting Lance's shoulder, a playful smile on his lips.

''Guys, food's ready!'' they all heard Hunk shout from the kitchen. ''Come pick your bowl.''

Matt ran to the kitchen to choose his favorite bowl (the Lion King one), as Lance was still looking pretty butthurt.

''I can't believe it,'' he whispered. ''I trusted you, Mullet for brains.''

''Aww, poor Lance, forced to face the truth,'' Keith giggled.

''I complimented you! And this is how you treat me,'' Lance huffed.

''You were checking my ass, you fucking pervert,'' Keith replied, poking Lance's arm. ''C'mon, let's go eat.''

Lance shot a glare to the smaller boy beside him.

''I'm not hungry.''

''Yes you are,'' Keith smirked. ''You're just mad because I said you have a flat butt.''

''Which I don't have, okay? It's not flat,'' Lance spat, heading to the kitchen and leaving Keith behind.

Keith followed him closely, now wondering if he pushed this whole thing too far. Pidge, Hunk and Matt had already grabbed a bowl.

''We're going to eat in the living room because we only have three chairs at the table,'' Hunk announced. ''Fix up whatever the hell's going on between you two and join us after that, okay?''

The three then left the kitchen, Pidge already eating some noodles. Lance grabbed a bowl and served himself some food, carefully ignoring Keith. The smaller boy just wrapped his arms around Lance's chest, hugging him from behind.

''What are you doing?'' Lance muttered. ''Leave me alone.''

''I'm obligating you to forgive me by forcing my affection on you,'' Keith mumbled against his shoulder.

''You suck,'' Lance retorted, trying to get rid of the annoying boy. Keith only held him tighter. ''I hate you.''

''No you don't,'' Keith replied.

Lance huffed, annoyed.

''Get off me,'' he spat, turning around to face Keith.

''No,'' Keith hugged him impossible tighter. ''Never. You're stuck with me forever.''

''Well, shit,'' Lance replied. ''Now I'm stuck with a gay Asian emo guy for the rest of my life.''

Keith giggled, which earned him a smile from the taller boy.

''I'm not emo,'' he said, looking up at Lance. ''I'm just... different.''

''Yeah, yeah, say whatever makes you feel better,'' Lance smirked, brushing Keith's bangs off his forehead. ''Grab yourself some food, they are waiting for us.''

With that, Lance grabbed himself a fork and left for the living room. Keith took the last bowl in his hand, then filled it up with the mixture of rice, eggs, and vegetables. He grabbed a fork, and headed to the living room as well. When he arrived, he realized there wasn't any space left on the couch. He just stared at the four people on the couch, as they slowly understood why Keith was standing up.

''We didn't think this through, did we?'' Matt scoffed.

''Take my seat,'' Lance offered, standing up. ''I'm gonna sit on Hunk's lap.''

''I can just bring a chair from the kitchen, no need to—'' Keith tried to convince Lance to stay on the couch, but the tanned boy was already sitting on Hunk's lap. ''Okay then.''

He sat beside Pidge, who had already eaten half of their bowl. He ate in silence, listening to whatever Lance was babbling about or the constant playful bickering between the Holt siblings. When he had finished his meal, he told Hunk he liked it very much, then Hunk started explaining to him how he cooked it, how his nana cooked it back then and how he loved eating this meal when he was young. Hunk was decidedly the most adorable person he knew, Keith thought.

''Have y'all finished eating?'' Lance asked. ''If so, gimme your bowls, I'm gonna go do the dishes.''

''Didn't know you would be the type of person to offer to do the dishes,'' Pidge smirked, putting their bowl in Lance's.

''It's not a choice, I'm obligated to,'' Lance shrugged, taking the other bowls and putting them in a pile. ''We have this rule that if you don't cook, you do the dishes. And since Hunk cooked the dinner and Matt 'helped','' he mimicked the quotation marks with his free hand, ''I'm the one doing the dishes.''

''While you do that, I'm gonna plug the Wii to the TV and the sound system,'' Hunk added, waiting for Lance to stand up to stretch his legs.

Lance left the room, as Hunk went and kneeled in front of the TV stand.

''I'm gonna go to the bathroom,'' Matt said, knowing he didn't have to inform anybody, but doing it anyway because Pidge hated TMIs.

Pidge smacked his arms, making him laugh as he left the living room as well.

''Hey Keith, I was wondering,'' Pidge started. ''What do you think of Shiro cancelling your plans to go to the conference with you to go with Matt instead?''

Hunk, who was still trying to figure out how did Matt had plugged the Xbox before that, and how he managed to mix the cables like that, listened subtly the conversation between the two.

''Well,'' Keith shrugged, crossing his arms and leaning back on the couch. ''I know it's been a while since Shiro's been into someone, and we have this unspoken agreement that if one of us has the opportunity to go out with their crush, then he should go for it.''

''Wait,'' Pidge whispered. ''He has a crush on Matt?''

Their voice got higher and higher as they spoke.

''Matt didn't tell you that they nearly kissed the other night?'' Keith exclaimed back, feeling like he spoke too early.

''Yeah, Matt got an obvious crush on Shiro, too,'' Lance commented, peeking in the room while drying a bowl with a towel. ''But he's too shy to act on it, sadly.''

The door of the bathroom then opened, leaving four people to stare at Matt with wide eyes.

''Something wrong?'' Matt asked, confused.

''Yeah, your face,'' Lance replied quickly, smacking Matt's ass with the towel.

He then disappeared back in the kitchen to go put the bowl and the towel back to their place, as Matt sat back on the couch. Pidge was still staring at him in awe, wondering if they should be offended that their brother didn't tell them anything.

''The console's plugged,'' Hunk smiled, grabbing the controllers from the TV stand.

Lance got back in the living room, as Hunk was handing the last controller to Keith.

''Oh,'' Hunk looked at the lack of a fifth controller for Lance. ''We _really_ didn't think this through.''

''It's okay, I'll just wait on the side,'' Lance shrugged, trying to shove his hands in his pocket nonchalantly but then he remembered he wasn't wearing pants.

''No, you chose the game, you should play first,'' Keith retorted, trying to force his controller in Lance's hands.

''No, you're the guest, you play first,'' Lance pushed back the controller a little more aggressively.

''I don't mind waiting a bit,'' Keith spoke back, pushing the controller harder in Lance's hands. ''You should really play first.''

''They're getting violent while trying to be polite,'' Pidge whispered to their brother, trying to hold back their laughing.

The two boys kept arguing, Lance literally dropping the controller on the floor to keep Keith from trying to give it to him.

''Guys, we could all rotate and have our turn on the side,'' Hunk pointed out, speaking loudly enough to catch their attention. ''It's not only to you two to have your turn on the side, right?''

Keith shut his mouth, looking up at Lance, who was still standing up awkwardly.

''I don't mind sharing a controller with Lance,'' Keith murmured shyly. ''He invited me here, so I'm the one too much.''

''Yeah, sounds logical,'' Lance quickly agreed with Keith.

''That's not at all logical,'' Pidge tried to say, but Keith elbowed them in the ribs.

''You can sit on my lap, Lance,'' Hunk patted his thigh. ''You know, 'cause you don't have a spot on the couch.''

Lance hummed, ''Well, maybe Keith could sit on my lap. That'll make the controller exchange easier.''

Matt snorted.

''You're so lazy, it's pathetic.''

Lance ignored him, looking at Keith instead.

''Would you mind sitting on Lancey Lance's lap?'' he smirked.

''He doesn't mind sitting on your di—'' Pidge didn't have time to finish their sentence that Keith was elbowing them in the ribs again, this time stronger.

''No, I don't,'' Keith tried to stop his face from blushing, but the more he thought about it, the more his face turned red.

He stood up to let Lance sit on his spot, taking the opportunity to pick up the controller from the floor.

''Come here,'' Lance patted both of his thighs. ''Come to daddy.''

Keith dropped the controller again, choking on his breath. Matt burst out laughing, quickly followed by Pidge and Hunk.

''D-don't say that!'' Keith exclaimed, his whole face burning.

''I'm joking, Keef,'' Lance had his signature smirk on his lips. ''Now, come on, I want to play.''

Keith picked up the controller from the floor, trying to tame the furious blush on his cheeks. He then sat on Lance's lap, as Hunk started the game. Lance wrapped his arms around Keith's waist loosely, leaning his cheek on his shoulder to see the TV screen.

''I'm player one,'' Matt announced. ''I want to be Mario.''

''Shotgun Luigi,'' Pidge added.

''We're blue Toad,'' Lance told Keith. ''Because he's the best.''

''Did you know that Toad's mushroom thing on his head is actually a hat and not a part of his head?'' Keith turned his head to look at Lance, who now had a terrified expression on his face. ''Like, he can take it off and everything.''

''Why would you say something like that?'' Lance exclaimed. ''What the fuck, Keith! It's like my whole life has been a lie.''

Keith giggled, choosing the blue Toad character in the main menu.

''We're going to do the first level, just to get back in the game,'' Matt said as he clicked on said level.

The others all agreed with him. They played level after level, until they finished the first world. Whenever it was Keith's turn, Lance would keep telling him what to do, where to go or what to catch, sometimes even grabbing the controller from Keith's hands or pressing some buttons 'for him'.

''Leave me alone!'' Keith groaned as he fell once again in the lava.

Let's just say that castles aren't his favorite levels.

''You keep falling in the lava, Keith!'' Lance retorted. ''Just jump over it. It's easy.''

''Don't tell me what to do,'' Keith groaned, pushing Lance's hands away. ''I know I have to jump over it! But you grabbing the controller or yelling at me isn't helping!''

''Your bad attitude isn't helping either, you 80s Ellen Degeneres wannabe,'' Lance spat back.

''Guys,'' Hunk said in a warning tone.

''Lance, just fucking leave me alone,'' Keith said between gritted teeth. ''You're too loud and I can't concentrate. I know how to play.''

''Yeah, that's why you keep dying,'' Lance snapped back. ''I'm trying to help your sorry ass.''

Keith let out a frustrated groan, then shoved the controller in Lance's face.

''If you're so good, do it,'' he spat, accidentally knocking the controller on Lance's cheekbone.

''Okay, asshole, watch me.''

Pidge, Hunk and Matt stared silently as blue Toad fell repeatedly over and over in the same hole, until he lost all his lives.

''See, you're no better than me,'' Keith took the controller back in his hands.

''It's only because you left me with less than 5 lives,'' Lance retorted. ''It's not my fault.''

''Yes it is!'' Keith replied. ''You suck, admit it.''

''At least I don't smell like coconut.''

Pidge held in their breath. Lance did _not_ just insult Keith's coconut soap.

''Really, now?'' Keith exclaimed, fully offended. ''You know what? I'm done.''

He put the controller down, standing up and 100% ready to leave.

''Aw, no,'' Lance wrapped his arms around Keith's waist, pulling him back on his lap. ''I'm sorry, Keef, don't leave.''

Keith tried to get out of Lance's grip, but the tanned boy only held on him tighter.

''I think we both suck at it,'' Lance mumbled against Keith's back, probably smudging a bit of his makeup on his shirt but shhhh. ''You just more than me.''

''I resent that,'' Keith groaned.

Lance just hugged him tighter, giggling. Keith tried to stay mad at him, he really tried. Instead, he relaxed in Lance's arms, cursing himself and his stupid crush.

''Jeez,'' Pidge commented. ''Just kiss already.''

Keith's whole body tensed at that.

''As if,'' he shouted back, in a panic-mode, laughing nervously.

Pidge noticed how Lance seemed hurt for a millisecond,  but then his smile was back on his face.

"Yeah, as if," he repeated, hugging Keith impossibly tighter.

Keith leaned back against Lance's chest, crossing his arms over Lance's tanned ones. He was still wondering if Lance really disliked his coconut soap or not. What if Lance thought he smells disgusting?

"I think we should play another game," Matt said. "Because clearly Super Mario Bros isn't the best game to play right now."

"I agree," Hunk nodded his head.

Keith felt bad, because it was mostly his and Lance's fault if the game was now over.

"We could play Scrabble," Lance suggested. "Hunk, Keith and I against the Holt siblings. Maybe we can outsmart them."

They can't.

 

* * *

 

 

When Allura arrived at the food court, she was glad to see that it wasn't crowded. She hated waiting an eternity for her food, and then not finding a vacant table to sit at. She bought her food at the vegan stand, then went to the second floor to find a secluded spot to eat in peace.

She was eating her salad absentmindedly, scrolling on Instagram and watching beauty gurus do everything better than her. She heard someone call her name, lifting her gaze just in time to see Nyma arrive at her table, a sports bag dangling on her shoulder.

"Heya gurl," Nyma smiled, sitting on the chair in front of Allura. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine, what about you?" Allura quickly swallowed her mouthful of salad.

"Good, good," the blond girl put her bag on the floor, looking slightly nervous. "It's okay if I join you?"

Allura nodded her head, watching Nyma open her bag and grab her lunch.

"Do you remember Tuesday night?" Allura asked. "Because I don't."

"Yeah," Nyma giggled, unwrapping her sandwich. "I do."

"Would you mind telling me what happened? Because my roommate wasn't too happy the next morning."

Nyma smirked, replacing a strand of hair between her ear.

"We just had fun," she told the white-haired girl. "We drank, smoked a little. We went around town on my bike, don't worry you were wearing a helmet too."

"Wait, you were drunk and high and driving?" Allura dropped her fork in her bowl.

"No, never, I wouldn't risk your life," Nyma shook her head. "We drank and smoked after driving in town."

Allura sighed, reassured.

"Why was Shiro mad then? It's not like I haven't drunk or went out before."

"I think it's because you came back home around one or two in the morning and you were so wasted," Nyma laughed cutely. "I think we woke him up."

"Oh, woops," Allura giggled. "Well, I'm glad we had fun, but I wish I could remember."

"We just have to do it again," Nyma winked. "And have you more sober this time."

"Yeah," Allura laughed. "Easier said than done, alcohol is my best friend."

"Don't worry, I got you," Nyma put her hand on Allura's, on the table.

Allura stared into the icy blue eyes, feeling her cheeks getting hotter. She didn't know why Nyma had such an effect on her, but even a simple touch was enough to make her skin flush and her palms get sweaty.

"I really like spending time with you," Nyma continued, caressing Allura's hand with her thumb. "And, uh, I know we only know each other for a few weeks and it's probably too forward, but..."

She took her hand away from Allura's, leaning down to her bag. She got a small bouquet of flowers out of it, handing it to a shocked Allura.

''I, uh,'' the blonde girl got a crippled paper out of her pocket, Allura recognizing her own handwriting on it. ''Red carnation for love, heather lavender for admiration... Yellow iris for passion, and a lily for beauty.''

She waited for Allura to take the bouquet in her hands, which she did.

''I really like you, Allura,'' Nyma continued, her cheeks pink. ''And I'd like to get to know you completely. T-that's why I'm asking you on a date. A 'real' date, with me. And I know that you know that I'm part of a... not-so-legal gang, but I promise you I'll always keep you out of it and I'll do anything to keep you safe. We will be able to do cool stuff like drinking, smoking and riding my bike around town all you want,'' she smiled shyly. ''So... would you like to go on a date? With me?''

Allura stared at Nyma with wide eyes, holding the bouquet of flowers close to her chest. There was a voice in her head, a voice that sounded a lot like Shiro's, telling her that this was a bad idea, that Nyma was in a gang and that, even if Nyma said the opposite, Allura could get in trouble for dating one of _them_. Allura shut that voice up quickly.

''Of course,'' she smiled. ''I would love to go on a date. With you.''

Nyma looked shocked by that, as if she wasn't expecting Allura to say yes.

''Really?'' she squealed, her eyes going wide.

''Yes,'' Allura giggled. ''Really.''

Nyma gasped loudly, then grabbed Allura's face softly and kissed her lips while smiling so wide her cheeks hurt. Allura got surprised for a second, but quickly kissed the blonde girl back, feeling her smile against her lips.

''Oh my God,'' Nyma mumbled, parting their lips for a moment. ''I can't believe it.''

Allura laughed lightly, ''Can't believe what?''

''I'm dating the most beautiful girl in town,'' Nyma said excitedly, then kissed back Allura's lips just because she could.

 

* * *

 

 

''Hi, Lance,'' Shiro stared at the tanned boy in the hallway.

He didn't know why the boy was there, neither why he was knocking at their dorm at 7 in the morning.

''Hey, Shiro,'' Lance greeted him, smiling widely.

He still had bedhead and pillow marks on his left cheek.

''Not to be rude, but what are you doing here?'' Shiro asked.

''Oh, well,'' he scratched his cheek absentmindedly, '' Hunk's at his private cooking class with Shay and Matt shooed me away because I was too loud and he needed to be super concentrated because he needs to get some super serious work done for today 2PM.''

''And you chose to come be loud here instead?'' Shiro teased without any malice.

''Well, like Matt said, I can't 'do silence','' he mimicked the quotation marks with an annoyed face. ''But I came here to spend some time with Keith.''

''Hmm,'' Shiro nodded his head.

''And Pidge, too,'' Lance added. ''Can I come in, hot bod?''

Shiro smirked, ''I don't know, can you?''

Lance huffed.

''What are you, an annoying English teacher?''

Shiro chuckled at that, then let Lance come in.

''Keith and Pidge are still sleeping, tho,'' he informed the younger boy.

''It's okay, I can wait,'' Lance turned around to face Shiro, a playful smile on his lips. ''I could wait an eternity if that means I wait with a handsome young man like you.''

Shiro rolled his eyes, closing the door behind him. He guided Lance to the kitchen, making him sit at the table so he could keep an eye on him.

''Have you eaten?'' he asked, grabbing a box of cereals and a bowl.

''No, but now that I'm here with you, I'm suddenly hungry,'' Lance shot finger guns at Shiro, who stood there unimpressed.

''Cereals?''

Lance kept his grin, nodding his head, ''Yes please.''

Shiro grabbed a second bowl, and put it on the table with the box of cereals.

''Is it okay if I practice my pick-up lines on you?'' Lance asked as Shiro was grabbing the milk from the refrigerator.

''You want me to tell you if they suck or not?'' he raised one eyebrow, sitting on the chair opposite of Lance.

''Yeah, I'm dating this guy and I want to blow him away with my smoothness,'' Lance shrugged, serving himself some cereals.

''Alright,'' Shiro said, amused.

He was curious to see what Lance would come up with. Also, he was with Keith's ever-loving crush, so he wanted to have some blackmail content for later. Just in case.

''Okay, okay, get ready,'' Lance smirked. ''And don't fall for me, I know it'll be hard, but I'm taken for the moment.''

Shiro scoffed, but didn't say anything.

''Do you have a map? I'm getting lost in your eyes.''

Shiro's face stayed impassible as he shook his head slowly. He was pouring himself some cereals too.

''I've heard it a thousand times,'' he told Lance.

''Okay, okay,'' Lance took a mouthful of cereals while he was thinking. ''Is your dad a baker? 'cause you've got nice buns!''

Shiro snorted, shaking his head again, ''Too generic. Also, don't talk with your mouth full.''

Lance pouted.

''Did you invent the airplane? Because you seem Wright for me.''

Shiro paused.

''Wow, that one wasn't so bad,'' he admitted. ''Mostly because it needs intelligence and cultural knowledge to get it.''

''Right?'' Lance winked, making a pun out of his pick-up line. ''I was feeling a little off today, but seeing you turned me on.''

Shiro laughed at that, just as Keith entered the kitchen. He looked still half asleep, in a loose T-shirt and boxers with ice cream cones on them. He was holding a notebook and a small pencil case in his hand.

''Why are you here and why are you hitting on my brother?'' he grumbled, rubbing his eye with the palm of his hand.

''Hey, Keith,'' Lance smiled, getting up and taking him in a good morning hug. ''Shiro was helping me by telling me if my pick-up lines sucked or not.''

''They suck,'' Keith mumbled, leaning into Lance's embrace nonetheless. ''They always do.''

''Jeez, thanks Keith,'' Lance giggled, going back to sitting on his chair. ''Country boys like you don't need pick-up lines 'cause they got pick-up trucks.''

Shiro burst out laughing, as Keith grumbled something incoherent back at him.

''Whatever,'' Keith grabbed himself a bowl, and the box of his favorite cereals before sitting on the chair beside Lance, putting his notebook and pencil case beside him.

''Is your body from McDonald's? 'cause I'm lovin' it!''

Keith couldn't help the giggle that bubbled up his throat, as Shiro hissed.

''No, that's bad and overly used,'' he said.

''Alright,'' Lance smirked, barely holding back his laughter. ''Let's play Winnie the Pooh and I'll stick my nose in your honey jar.''

Keith let out a loud ''EW'' as Shiro laughed even louder.

''That's disgusting don't ever say something like that to anybody,'' Shiro snorted.

''Is your car battery dead?'' Lance continued, delighted to see Shiro laugh because of him. ''Because I'd like to jump you.''

''Oh my God,'' Keith hid his face with his hands. ''This is so bad.''

''Pick-up lines are made to be bad,'' Shiro giggled. ''Some of them are just bad enough to make people's heart melt.''

''Okay, I've got a last one, guys, be prepared,'' Lance shoved a spoonful of cereals in his mouth, quickly swallowing it to continue. ''Are you maths? Because I'd like to add you to my life, subtract your clothes, divide your legs and multiply ourselves.''

Shiro was laughing so hard he was crying. He didn't know Thursday mornings could be so entertaining.

''That only works if you're flirting with a girl,'' Keith said between two giggles.

He didn't admit that Lance could tell him any pick-up line and he'd end up in his bed.

''I know, I know,'' Lance was laughing as well. ''But, Shiro, I'm sure you could use one of these with Matt and it'll work like magic.''

Shiro stopped laughing, looking at Lance with wide eyes.

''What,'' he blurted out, color leaving his face. ''Who told you?''

The older man then looked at his brother with a deadly glare. Keith yelped and rushed out of the room, quickly followed by Shiro who tackled him on the ground as soon as he left the kitchen. Keith was screeching nonsense, trying to get off from under his brother. Lance was watching them, laughing his ass off.

''Shiro,'' he hiccupped. ''Keith didn't do anything. Matt told me about the time you two spend together. I just guessed that something was going on between you.''

''Oh,'' Shiro looked down at his brother, who looked like he just got saved from an eminent death. ''Well,'' he got up, brushing off his pajamas and going back to the kitchen, ''I think I'll just act when I feel like it'll be the right moment, you know?''

''Yeah, I know,'' Lance eyed Keith as he got up and went back to the kitchen, shirt all wrinkled and hair sticking out everywhere.

He didn't miss Keith mouthing a silent 'thank you' to him.

''So,'' Shiro got back to his cereals, just like Keith and Lance. ''You're dating a guy?''

Lance nodded his head, humming happily.

''His name's Lotor,'' he spoke with his mouth full, not caring at all. ''We've been dating for a little more than two weeks. We're having a second real date this weekend, and I decided that I'll tell him I'm trans then.''

Shiro quickly eyed Keith, who seemed off ever since Lotor's name was mentioned.

''Why didn't you tell him before?'' Keith asked.

''Because,'' Lance sighed, ''it's not something I feel like I need to say, you know? It's just who I am. I'm Lance, a boy. I don't want people to see me differently because I'm trans. And I'm always scared it'll change something in the relationship. What if he sees me differently? What if he tells me he doesn't want me because I don't have boy bits? Or he just feels awkward around me because he doesn't know how to act? It's always more complicated to be Lance, a trans boy, than if I'm just Lance, a boy.''

Both Shiro and Keith looked at Lance with compassion, taking a few seconds to adjust to what Lance just said.

''Listen, buddy,'' Shiro spoke first. ''It's okay to have doubts, and it's totally understandable that you are scared. But the right person, the right people for you will never be bothered by who you are. Of course, it's not something that happens every day.  To learn that your friend, your date or your boyfriend is trans. But it's not something that should weaken or even break your relationships.''

''People should love you for who you are completely,'' Keith continued. ''And if they don't, you flush them and they won't know what they're missing.''

''Also, Keith is 100% ready to fight anyone who hurts you,'' Shiro smirked. ''That's a plus.''

Lance giggled, his shoulders relaxing a little.

''Yeah, if something bad ever happens between you and Lotor, I'll be the first to punch that motherf—''

''Okay, Keith,'' Shiro cut him off, making Lance giggle even more. ''We get it.''

Keith smiled softly, then went back to eating his cereals. Lance was giving some dating tips to Shiro, who was just nodding his head shyly, but still mentally taking notes. If Lance had applied those tips to his own dating life and it had worked, why wouldn't it work with Shiro?

''I'm gonna go run a few errands before my morning class,'' Shiro told the boys once he finished his cereals.

''When's that class? Because it's 7:50AM,'' Keith said.

''9:30, I've got time,'' Shiro put his bowl in the sink, then left the room to get prepared.

Keith and Lance ate silently, well, as silently as Lance can be. The boy was humming quietly, bobbing his head to an imaginary beat. Lance finished his bowl first, then put it in the sink beside Shiro's. He waited until Keith had finished his to grab his bowl, rinse it and put it with the others.

''What's this?'' he asked, pointing the notebook on the table.

''Oh,'' Keith grabbed it quickly, as if he was scared Lance would take it away from him. ''It's a notebook. I draw or paint in it. It's mostly drafts and doodles, that's why it's cheap paper.''

Lance sat back on his chair, eyeing the notebook curiously.

''Can I see?''

Keith hesitated.

''Well... I've got a drawing I'd like to paint, so I guess you could watch me paint?''

Lance looked like a kid on Christmas morning.

''Really? Awesome!''

Keith stood up to grab a mug and fill it with water, grabbing paper towels as well before going back to his chair. He didn't mind being watched painting by his friends or his family, but now it was Lance, and Lance was really intimidating in the less-intimidating way Keith has ever seen. He tried to ignore it, to make it less of a big deal than he was internally making it, as he opened his notebook, getting to the page he wanted.

''It's really beautiful,'' Lance whispered, getting even closer to Keith to see the drawing better. ''Who is that supposed to be? They look so sad.''

''It's no one in particular,'' Keith cleared his throat, opening his pencil case to get a small watercolor palette and his paintbrushes. ''He looks sad because he is.''

Lance watched carefully as Keith dipped his paintbrush in the mug, then picked up some blue paint.

''Why is he sad?''

''I,'' Keith looked down at his drawing, then painted the character's eyes blue. ''I don't know.''

''Maybe someone broke his heart,'' Lance murmured, staring at Keith's light strokes on the white paper. ''Maybe he loves so much but never is loved.''

Keith gulped. He never imagined stories behind his doodles, or even most of his paintings.

''He looks like you,'' Lance continued, as Keith painted the base of the character's skin. ''Look, same mullet.''

He touched Keith's hair on his nape, making his shiver involuntarily.

''Enough with my hair, it's not a mullet,'' he groaned.

When he lifted his eyes to glare at Lance, he met a soft smile and even softer eyes, and he couldn't help his poor heart to skip a few beats.

''I think it suits you well,'' Lance hummed, playing with Keith's hair. ''You're one of the fewer people in the whole History to pull out a mullet that well.''

"Who are the other few people?" Keith asked, a small smile playing on his lips.

"David Bowie, and probably Brad Pitt," Lance shrugged.

He continued caressing Keith's hair, finding it softer than he expected it to be.

"You're comparing me to Brad Pitt?" Keith chuckled.

"Only for your hair," Lance pointed out. "You're Asian. And gay. And better."

"I'm not better than Brad Pitt," Keith smirked. "You're delusional."

"Hey, he's just not my type," Lance retorted, letting his hand slide from Keith's head to rest it on the back of the chair.

"And what is your type exactly?" Keith wondered, stopping painting for a second.

"I don't have a type precisely," Lance shrugged. "I just go with people who make me feel good. Who make me laugh and who give me that feeling in my stomach. Like everything will be alright as long as I'm with them."

Keith nodded his head. Of course Lance was that idyllic romantic guy.

"And do you feel like that? With... Lotor?"

Lance looked surprised by the question.

"Well," he took a deep breath, frowning slightly, "no. But it's early in the relationship, so I'm unsure about everything."

Keith looked up at Lance, who seemed concerned. He leaned his head back against Lance's shoulder, trying to get that negative expression away from the boy's pretty features.

"You okay?" Lance asked, wrapping his arm around Keith's shoulder.

"I'm tired," Keith mumbled. "You woke me up by making Shiro laugh so loudly."

"What can I say, I'm a pretty funny guy," Lance's smile was back on his lips full force.

"Pretty funny or pretty and funny?" Keith teased, going back to his painting.

This time, he made such the character didn't have tanned skin, brown hair and a beauty mark under the eye.

"I'd say I'm both, but then I wouldn't be honest with myself," Lance chuckled lightly, brushing his hair out of his face.

"What do you mean?" Keith frowned.

Lance didn't reply, instead he just smiled and looked down at Keith's painting.

"Wait, no," Keith put his paintbrush down. "Was that a self-depreciating comment that I just heard?"

He stared at Lance, who only blushed and avoided his eyes.

"Lance!" Keith exclaimed, a concerned frown on his face. "I don't want self-depreciation in my house."

Lance rolled his eyes, "Chill, dude, I just said--"

"I know what you said," Keith stood up from his chair. "I don't want this kind of negativity in my house. Stand up."

Lance did as he was told, smiling uncertainly because he didn't know what Keith was doing.

"What is it? No negativity in front of your salad?" he tried to joke, but Keith seemed serious.

"Now get out," the smaller guy began pushing Lance towards the door.

"What?" Lance protested, but left Keith pushing him. "No, Keith, listen--"

Keith opened the front door.

"Get out and stand there."

"Keith what are you doing?" Lance looked confused, and an itty bitty sad.

He still did as Keith told him, standing in front of the entrance, facing Keith.

"Now," Keith crossed his arms on his chest, "you're not getting back in until you say something self-appreciating and you mean it."

Lance stared at Keith in disbelief.

"You must be joking," he scoffed.

Keith raised one eyebrow, pouting determinedly.

''Really?'' Lance rolled his eyes, a part of him telling him he didn't deserve someone as caring as Keith. ''Fine. I'm super hot and goddamnly sexy.''

Keith clicked his tongue, ''You don't mean it.''

''Of course I mean it,'' Lance huffed. ''I know I'm cute. I see myself in the mirror every day.''

Keith hummed, not moving away from the door frame, ''I'm not convinced.''

Lance let out a loud, annoyed sigh.

''What the fuck, Keith? Let me in,'' he whined. ''I don't have self-worth issues, just let me back in.''

''If you can't say something nice about yourself, I will,'' Keith didn't move one bit. ''I think you're an amazing person. You're funny, even when your jokes aren't. You're really caring, you are selfless but you play it like it's nothing. You're kind, and you have one of the best fashion sense I've ever seen. You are good at maths, even when you pretend the opposite, and you are really intelligent. You're a good artist and an even better makeup artist,'' he got silent for a second because he needed to breathe a little. God, he never talks that much. ''And I think you're beautiful. You're easily one of the most beautiful people I've ever met. And I get that everyone has their insecurities, but, in my opinion, you've got nothing to be ashamed of.''

Lance stood there, jaw dropped to the floor as a blush crept from his neck to the root of his hair. Well, if that didn't get butterflies to flutter in his stomach, nothing ever will.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Late update, I know, I'm sorry! Hope you liked it anyway! We're getting closer to the epitome of cheesiness, fluffiness and, finally, romance!!!
> 
> \--  
> Here's where I picked up Lance's fantastic pick up lines : http://www.pickuplinesgalore.com/cheesy.html  
> just so you know that im not clever enough to come up with my own:')
> 
> \--
> 
> SOO things are getting heated in the NymaxAllura ship lmao. Do you guys agree with it or am I the only one to ship it??
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, every kudos and every comment means SO MUCH to me!!!!


	10. Sunset

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just started school again so my updates might have more than a week between them but I'll try to post as quickly as I possibly can!
> 
> Enjoy! x

''So, how's it going with Shay?''

''Lance, just go to sleep,'' Hunk groaned, turning away to face the wall instead of his best friend.

Sleepovers with Lance were always a bad idea, mostly because sleeping with Lance was impossible. The boy could stay awake all night talking if you let him.

''I just want to know,'' Lance whispered, peeking over Hunk's arm to look at him.

''And I want to know why you decided to wait until it was 2AM to talk about this,'' Hunk replied, knowing he couldn't get away from Lance easily.

''Because I'm sleeping over in your room, and you know sleepovers mean we gossip and talk about our feelings until we're unconscious,'' Lance hummed. ''You've been spending a lot of time with her, and you barely talk to me about her.''

"There's just not much to say," Hunk turned to face Lance. "She teaches me new ways to cook, and we cook. That's it."

"I thought you thought she was cute."

"Well," Hunk sighed. "She is. But that doesn't mean anything. We're friends, at best."

"Do you want you two to be more than friends?" Lance asked curiously.

Hunk shrugged.

"You would look cute together," Lance added, leaning his chin on his hand.

Hunk hummed but didn't reply anything. That was the kind of things he didn't think about too much. False hopes were his worst enemies.

"You should invite her to the fair this weekend," Lance continued.

"And leave you alone? No way," Hunk shook his head. "Since Lotor can't come, you'll have no one if I invite Shay."

"Why?" Lance frowned. "You'll pass her before me?"

Hunk looked uncertain.

"Not that, but I don't want her to feel neglected," he explained.

"I can invite some other people," Lance suggested. "I know Matt and Shiro are going, so I could invite Pidge and Keith to join us. Maybe Allura too, if she's not busy. Shay knows her, so she won't be alone. We'll all be a huge group of friends and no one will be left behind."

"That sounds like a great plan," Hunk agreed.

"You'll see, it'll be great," Lance reassured him with a soft smile. "And I'll make sure to leave you two alone a few times. Maybe seeing each other somewhere else than in school will help."

"Lance..." Hunk sighed. ''I don't know about this. I like her as a friend.''

''Are you kidding me?'' Lance frowned. ''You've been seeing her for like two weeks, nearly every day! You bring home so much food the fridge doesn't even close anymore! If you tell me you're seeing her just because you like learning new techniques then I'll laugh at your denial for the rest of my life.''

Hunk stayed silent, defeated.

''You're just scared,'' Lance teased, poking Hunk's stomach softly. ''Because she's smoking hot and you don't want to ruin your relationship.''

''You of all people should know how easy it is to ruin a relationship,'' Hunk teased back.

''Yeah, it's way too easy for someone like me,'' Lance pouted. ''But hey, if it works with Shay, we'll go on double dates!''

''Yeah,'' Hunk smiled. ''You always wanted that, but we never got dates at the same time.''

''Correction,'' Lance snorted. ''I've never got dates for the past 18 years.''

Hunk hummed, ''Okay, I'll invite Shay, and you'll invite the others.''

''Yesssss,'' Lance smiled. ''Can't wait to eat tons of cheap hot-dogs, cotton candy and then nearly throw it up in cheap, totally non-safe rides.''

Hunk giggled, ''I hate those rides. I always fear they'll fall when I get in.''

''Yeah,'' Lance laughed, leaning his head on Hunk's chest. ''You'll see, I'll be the best wingman ever.''

''Like always,'' Hunk smiled, wrapping his arms around his best friend.

Lance hummed in approbation, closing his eyes peacefully.

Then the door of the room opened in a loud bang, and Matt entered in the room ever so loudly.

''Oh my God guys, I just got the best idea ever!'' he exclaimed, as Lance and Hunk sat on the bed, startled.

''What the fuck, Matt, can't you just knock like a normal person?'' Lance took a deep breath.

Hunk put one hand on his heart, nodding his head.

''Well sorry,'' Matt raised his hands in the air. ''I still need your help tho.''

''What is it?'' Hunk asked.

''Is it legal?'' Lance added.

''Yes, mostly,'' Matt said.

Lance and Hunk relaxed a little. If it was mostly legal, they mostly couldn't get in trouble for it.

''I'll need Pidge's and Keith's help for it as well,'' Matt joined the two boys on the bed, putting the document holder full of loose sheets between them. ''And it'll stay between us five. No one beside us should know. _Capice?_ ''

''Oh my God,'' Hunk whispered. ''This sounds so not legal.''

Lance leaned closer to Matt, ''Now I'm interested.''

 

* * *

 

 

''Hey, coconut boy!'' Lance waved his arms above his head, making sure Keith and Pidge spotted them in the crowd.

''Don't call me that,'' Keith pestered once he was close enough to his friends.

''Why, coconut boy?'' Lance smirked.

''Hey guys,'' Hunk spoke louder to cover Lance's attempt to provoke Keith.

''Hi,'' Pidge smiled. ''Allura is coming soon with Shay, she was going to pick her up when we left the dorm.''

Lance elbowed Hunk not-so-subtly, wiggling his eyebrows.

''What was that?'' Pidge asked. ''Hunk has a crush on someone?''

''What? No,'' Hunk elbowed Lance harder, sending him flying in Keith's arms.

''Shay or Allura?'' Pidge inquired curiously.

''I said no,'' Hunk repeated. ''No one.''

He then shot a deadly glare at Lance, who hid himself behind Keith.

''Are Matt and Shiro already there?'' Keith asked, feeling Lance's arm wrapping around his shoulders.

''Yeah, Shiro was trying to win something for Matt at some booth,'' Lance replied. ''Without success, but what's important is that he tried.''

''They're so cute, it's disgusting,'' Pidge smiled softly. ''I'm hungry, can we go eat something?''

''Oh, you can go,'' Hunk brushed his hair out of his face. ''I'll wait here for Allura and Shay, and join you after.''

''Okay,'' Lance patted Hunk's arm softly. ''We'll be at that really unhealthy food stand near the mini-rollercoaster.''

''Good,'' Hunk waved at them. ''See ya in a moment.''

Lance waved back, then they left to the food stand.

''So, Hunk and I already ate at that stand, but I'm still hungry so,'' Lance babbled, arm still around Keith's shoulders. ''Hot-dogs are fine, pizza is not, and the fries are really salty. They don't put ice in your drink unless you ask for it, and they don't have Coke, only Pepsi.''

''You should be a food critic,'' Keith deadpanned, making Pidge snort and Lance giggle. ''Since you have an opinion on everything it should be easy.''

''I'm sorry, what?'' Lance exclaimed, while Pidge burst out laughing.

Keith shot a joking smirk at Lance, who looked fully offended.

''Fuck you too, Coconut Kogane,'' he muttered, taking his arm off Keith's shoulders.

''I'm joking, Lance,'' Keith rolled his eyes. ''I would've thought someone with such a vast sense of humor would be able to differentiate a joke from an insult.''

''Coming from you, I'll never know,'' Lance retorted, shoving his hands in his short's pockets.

''So,'' Pidge cut off their small argument. ''What do you recommend me?''

Lance took a deep breath, slowing down as they arrived to the stand.

''Like I said, hot-dogs,'' he shrugged. ''Also their snow cones are great, their slushies too.''

He then ordered a blue slushie, chatting a bit with the cashier as his friends decided what they would eat. Pidge chose the pizza, because _Fuck you Lance, pizza is always good_ while Keith took a hot-dog and a red slushie.

''It's always fun to see you flirt with people even when you're dating someone,'' Pidge commented as they sat at a picnic table.

''What, you jealous?'' Lance smirked. ''I flirt because it makes people happy, or at least it makes them laugh.''

Keith sat beside Lance, slurping on his slushie.

''It made Shiro laugh a lot the other day,'' he admitted. ''While you were sound asleep.''

''He was crying of laughing,'' Lance said proudly.

''What were you doing? And why were you flirting with Shiro?'' Pidge asked, confused.

''I was practising my pick-up lines with him,'' Lance shrugged, pushing his sunglasses up on his nose.

Pidge nodded their head, taking a bite of their pizza. Keith started eating too, as Lance began to shoot even worse pick-up lines to them both. Pidge once snorted their drink up their nose, as Keith was giggling loudly.

''Do you have a mirror in your pants?'' Lance did finger guns in Keith's direction. ''Because I'm seeing myself in them.''

''Have you tried some of them on Lotor?'' Pidge asked between two giggles.

''Well, not really,'' Lance laughed. ''I've said pretty stupid things to him while trying to flirt, but it was never something as bad as these.''

''Another one, please,'' Keith smiled.

Lance was about to tell another bad pick-up line when Matt and Shiro joined them at the table.

''Hey gays,'' Pidge greeted them.

''Hey,'' Matt sat beside their sibling, putting his food on the table carefully. ''I see you chose the pizza too.''

''Yeah, it sucks,'' Pidge winced, pushing their plate away.

''Told you,'' Lance stuck out his tongue, which was already blue.

''Well, shit,'' Shiro looked at their three pizza parts. ''We spent 20 dollars for nothing.''

''Hot-dogs are good,'' Keith told his brother, mouth full of said hot-dog.

''We get it, Keith,'' Pidge smirked. ''You like sausages.''

Matt giggled and Shiro smirked, while Lance burst out laughing.

''So do I,'' Matt smiled. ''I'm gonna get some hot-dogs, somebody else wants some?''

Pidge and Shiro both agreed, and Matt left to get food for them.

''It's weird that Hunk isn't back yet,'' Pidge commented, looking around them to see if Hunk was around.

''Hmm,'' Lance frowned. ''Maybe they're just talking a lot. You know how Allura can get.''

''Maybe they're lost,'' Shiro suggested.

''Plausible,'' Pidge agreed.

Lance sighed loudly, slurping on his slushie annoyingly.

''Wait,'' he put his slushie down, looking at Keith. ''I've got one for you.''

''Hm?'' Keith frowned.

''I'm sorry, I dropped something,'' Lance said in a seductive tone. ''It's my jaw, when I looked at you.''

''Ow, this one's bad,'' Keith laughed, blushing nonetheless.

''Still with the pick-up lines?'' Shiro raised one eyebrow, amused.

''Yeah,'' Keith leaned his chin on the palm of his hand. ''They're funny.''

He ignored Pidge's knowing smirk, listening as Lance shot more pick-up lines at him. As Matt returned with hot-dogs, Hunk, Shay and Allura joined them at the table. Allura joined Lance in telling bad flirting tips, while Hunk went to get food for them three. Once everyone was seated on the not-big-enough table, they all ate in semi-silence, Lance still breaking a few bad puns or pick-up lines to make them laugh.

''So, Lance,'' Shay said shyly at one moment. ''I've heard you're dating Lotor.''

''Yeah,'' Lance smiled widely. ''Why? You know him?''

''Kind of,'' Shay shrugged. ''He's a friend of a friend.''

''Wait, you're dating Lotor?'' Allura exclaimed.

Lance lost his smile at Allura's expression.

''Why?''

Allura exchanged a look with Shay, who looked suddenly uncomfortable.

''Guys,'' Hunk hesitated. ''What do you know about Lotor that we don't?''

''Well,'' Shay spoke first, mostly because she had more tact than Allura. ''You know that he's in a gang, right? Like, a fancy street gang.''

''What?'' Lance frowned, perplexed. ''What does... what's that?''

''A group of people that do illegal stuff like dealing drugs, stealing shit or vandalizing stuff,'' Allura spoke fast.

Lance's eyes widened.

''I did not know that,'' he murmured. ''He does that?''

''I don't know him personally, so I can't tell you,'' Shay replied softly. ''But as any member of a gang, he probably has an active role in it.''

''I don't want to end up in jail,'' Lance looked at Hunk, who was equally shocked.

''You won't end up in jail just because you know someone in a gang,'' Allura reassured him. ''Or even if you date someone in a gang.''

''Couldn't you be an accomplice or something if he gets caught and you knew about his activities?'' Keith frowned.

''What?'' Lance squealed, looking utterly terrified.

Shiro sighed.

''Keith,'' he said in a warning tone.

''Well, it's true,'' Keith retorted.

''While it might be true,'' Pidge conceded. ''That doesn't mean you have to scare Lance like that. If Lance stays away from trouble, he won't get in trouble.''

Keith was about to reply something back, because Lance won't be hurt or in trouble on his watch, but Pidge shot him a glare to shut him up.

"W-what should I do?" Lance asked.

"I think the best thing to do is to talk about it with him?" Hunk hesitated.

"But won't he think it's weird that I know about this whole gang thing?" Lance bit his bottom lip nervously. "I mean, he probably didn't talk to me about it for a reason."

"The way you talk about him, he cares about you," Matt said softly. "If he's not a total dick, he'll talk with you about this."

"But what if he doesn't? What if he's mad?"

Pidge, Matt and Keith simultaneously said "Dump him."

Lance didn't seem really happy with that answer.

"I guess..."

There was then an awkward silence at the table, where no one knew what to do or what to say.

''I, uh,'' Lance cleared his throat. ''I'm gonna go to the bathroom.''

With that, he left the table quickly.

"Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned it," Shay spoke quietly. "I feel bad, now."

"It's better if he knows now than when he's further in the relationship," Hunk reassured her. "You did nothing wrong."

She seemed to feel a little better.

"Maybe someone should check on him," Allura said, looking in the direction Lance left.

"Yeah, I'm gonna do that," Hunk nodded his head, then left the table as well.

They all watched him leave, falling into another awkward silence.

"So..." Matt trailed off, glancing down at his half-eaten hot dog.

"I'm gonna get some water bottles and snacks at the stand," Shiro announced. "For later."

"I'm coming with you," Matt added.

They left the table quickly to avoid the situation. Keith turned to face Allura.

"How and why do you know who Lotor is?"

 

* * *

 

 

When Lance and Hunk had returned to the table, Lance seemed to be in a better mood so everyone relaxed a little bit.

"Are we done eating here? 'cause I really want to try these rides before it gets too crowded to move," Lance smiled. "And I saw a booth with shark plushies as prizes and I'm ready to bankrupt myself if that means I get that plushie."

"I think we're done, yeah," Allura stood up, brushing invisible dust off her dress.

"Where to first?" Shiro asked once they all threw their paper plates in the garbage.

"What about the mini-rollercoaster? It's right there," Pidge offered, as they all turned to face said rollercoaster.

"Great idea, Pidgetto," Lance cheered.

He grabbed Hunk's arm and started pulling him towards the attraction.

"Laaaance," Hunk whined. "You know how I hate these! I always get sick, it's not even funny."

"It's funny when you're not the one puking, trust me," Lance winked. "But for real, who's gonna be my buddy and go in the ride with me if you don't?"

"I don't know," Hunk rolled his eyes. "Literally anyone else than me."

Lance huffed, annoyed, turning around to watch the rest of the group follow them quietly. His eyes stopped on Keith, who immediately thought about a way of getting out of this.

There was no way Lance would see him in that rollercoaster. Last time he went in one, he got out crying.

"I'm going with Pi—"

"I don't like rollercoasters, you can go with Lance," Pidge spoke faster than Keith.

"What the fuck do you mean, you love rollercoasters!" Keith retorted.

"Keith," Shiro sighed.

"It's okay if you don't want to go with me," Lance said softly. "I'll go alone."

Keith's heart stung slightly at Lance's words.

"You can go with me," Allura offered.

"Or with me," Matt added.

"Nah, you two go with your hot buff friend," he motioned to Shiro and Shay. "I'll wait on the side with mine."

He tightened his grip around Hunk's arm.

"But you wanted to go in it," Hunk frowned. "I'll go with you, don't deprive yourself like that!"

"Yeah," Shay added. "I don't fancy rollercoasters that much, go with Allura."

Lance wanted to refuse, but then he thought that Shay and Hunk would have a moment alone (with Pidge) and, as a good wingman and an even better friend, he couldn't say no.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, don't worry about me," Shay smiled.

"Thanks!" he grinned widely. "Now, let's go gang!"

He wrapped his arm around Allura's, making her smile as they headed towards the waiting line. Keith was about to follow them when Shiro grabbed him by the shoulder and leaned towards him.

"Are you fucking things up on purpose or are you simply just that mean? What the fuck was that?"

Keith felt like when their dad would reprimand him for doing something stupid. Shiro had that same disappointed look on his face.

"I don't do it on purpose," he mumbled, looking away with a pout.

"What's wrong?" Matt asked, concerned.

"He's just being his grumpy and irrational self," Shiro half-joked. "Let's join Lance and Allura, hm?"

Matt and Keith nodded their heads, Matt's arm wrapping around Shiro's subtly as they headed towards the attraction.

"... then I said to him that he was stinking because, man, that was true. He smelled like shit beans. And you know what he did?"

When they arrived behind Lance and Allura, the tanned boy was already deep into a conversation with her.

"No, what did he do?" Allura asked.

"He fucking bit me! Like, he wanted to chomp my arm off!"

"Are you talking about Marceus again?" Matt rolled his eyes. "You were five."

"Marceus fucking ruined my life and my trust in squirrels," Lance spat. "I still have a scar, look!"

He shoved his arm in Allura's face, pointing a vaguely discolored spot on his skin. Keith peeked up to see the said scar, only to be disappointed.

"That looks like a birthmark," he mumbled.

"That's because you don't know the story, you don't know Marceus," Lance looked deadly serious. "I cried for hours and Hunk took his bike and ran over Marceus."

Allura gasped loudly, as Shiro and Keith burst out laughing.

"That's not even true, you can't run over a squirrel with a bike and a five years old's abilities," Matt pointed out.

"Leave the kid alone, he clearly has PTSD," Allura smirked.

"See, she understands," Lance blew a raspberry at Matt.

The line moved forward a little, so they stepped up patiently.

"I wanna ride in the first cart," Lance told Allura.

"Yeah!" she high-fived him out of nowhere, Lance nearly getting smacked in the face. "I've never met someone else who wanted to sit in the first cart!"

"Well, you're lucky to have me," Lance winked.

"We can go in the second," Matt nodded his head. "Lance does Kermit arms when he's in a roller-coaster. Or in any ride. It's funny but at the same time I'm scared he'll get his arms ripped off."

Shiro smiled softly, shaking his head.

"That won't happen. Rides are designed to not rip arms. At least when you ride them properly."

He felt someone pull at his shirt, and he looked down, knowing it was Keith.

"I don't want to go alone," he whispered, eyes wide. "You know how I feel about rollercoasters."

"Then why did you came here first?" Shiro sighed. "Wanted to look tough?"

Keith shrugged, moving as the line between them and the ride got shorter and shorter. He was starting to get nervous, his stomach twisting.

"You know I never make thoughtful decisions," he muttered.

"What's gotten to you?" Lance pinched his cheek softly. "You're chickening out?"

Keith slapped Lance's hand away, "Never."

That made Matt giggle. Keith's stubbornness will probably be the end of him.

"Keithy Keith is scared of a fair rollercoaster," Lance sing-sang, earning a scowl from the shorter boy.

"Am not."

Shiro and Allura exchanged a look. They knew exactly where this was going.

"Oh yeah? Prove it," Lance smirked.

"Yeah, I'll do that!" Keith snapped back. "I... I'll... I'll go in the first cart!"

Lance's eyebrows shot up in surprise, then the knowing smirk was back. He glanced at Allura, who simply said "If mister insists" and stepped on the side.

Keith realized their turn was the next, and suddenly the balls he had grew in a span of .3 seconds were gone.

"Keith, think about it," Shiro warned him. "You're my only brother, I don't want you dead."

Keith felt offended by that. He was scared of rollercoasters, but they couldn't kill him.

"Want to prove Shiro he's wrong?" Lance whispered to him, turning his back to Shiro so he couldn't hear.

Lance noticed how Keith was hesitant, then he remembered what Keith had said earlier.

"Or if you want to ride with Allura, it's totally fine," he shrugged, acting all relaxed.

But knowing Keith didn't want him still stung pretty badly. He's a people pleaser, so of course it would hurt.

"No," Keith said ever so quietly. "I'm gonna prove to him he's wrong."

Keith's new determination got a smile back on Lance's face.

"Yeah, baby," he rolled his shoulders twice. "I hope you're ready, 'cause it's now or never."

He put one arm around Keith's waist, then they headed to the first cart. Keith was feeling like he was going to pee on himself, but he'd die before letting it show on his face. Lance let him choose the seat he wanted, then sat on the one left.

"Oh my God," Keith said quietly as Lance pulled the bar on their thighs. "Oh my God, cancel, nope."

"Relax, it's gonna be fun!" Lance smiled reassuringly.

The employee checked the carts and the bars, all the while Keith was going on and about with how he regretted every decision that led to this situation.

''You know, when I was young and small and scared of everything, my older brother used to hold my hand through the rides,'' Lance looked down at Keith's hands. His nails still had chipped red nail polish on them. ''So, if you wanna, I can hold your hand to shoo the scaredy feeling away.''

Keith stared at his gloved hands, wondering if Lance would feel the sweat through them.

''It's okay, I won't judge you for wearing fingerless gloves,'' Lance joked, handing his hand, palm up, towards Keith.

The second employee gave a thumbs up to the first, then the train started moving.

''Oh shit,'' Keith grabbed Lance's hand, leaning back as much as possible against the seat. He had a tight grip on the bar as well, and looked livid.

''Dude, you're looking like you're gonna faint,'' Lance lost his smile. ''Are you gonna faint?''

''N-no...''

''That was the least convincing 'no' I've ever heard, Keith,'' Lance rolled his eyes, looking at the cart behind them. ''Shiro—''

Keith squeezed Lance's hand as tight as possible, earning a yelp from the tanned boy.

''Keith!'' he exclaimed. ''What the fuck, do you want to break my hand?''

''Don't tell Shiro, he'll laugh at me for the rest of my life,'' Keith muttered between gritted teeth.

Lance got out of Keith's iron grip, tangling their fingers instead.

''Well, if you faint now, or worst, this will be the rest of your life.''

''Not reassuring,'' Keith's eyes were glued to the rails in front of them that kept going up and up and up.

'''Oh, so I'm supposed to reassure you, now?'' Lance huffed. ''Who am I? Your babysitter?''

''I'm scared, Lance!''

''Then why did you come? Why did you pick the first cart?'' Lance snapped back.

''Because you provoke me!'' Keith shouted back, putting his two hands and hiding his face with them.

Lance watched as they neared the top of the first drop.

''Okay, don't cry, I'm sorry for provoking you. Just grab the bar,'' he wrapped one arm around Keith's shoulders. ''Keith!''

Keith just leaned closer to Lance, as if Lance could possibly hold him still during the ride. They got down the first drop, Lance screaming his heart out and Keith holding on tightly to his friend.

''I hate this shit,'' Lance heard him yell. ''What the fuck!''

At the end of the ride, they were both dishevelled, Keith even more livid than when it began. The employee unstuck the bar, and Lance helped Keith getting out of the cart.

''Are you gonna puke?'' he asked, noticing that Keith had tears in the corner of his eyes. '''Keith, buddy, answer me.''

Keith just leaned against Lance, quietly asking for reassurance because his heart never beat this quick in his whole life. Lance took him in his arms for a second, stroking his back awkwardly.

''Okay, let's get out of here, get some water, hm?'' he grabbed Keith's waist and lead him out of the attraction. "You should've told me you were this scared, fuck. Although it _was_ funny for the first moments..."

Shiro, Matt and Allura were a bit farther behind them, wondering if Keith was still alive. Lance and Keith joined back Hunk, Shay and Pidge.

''Oh my jeez, Keith,'' Pidge muttered, half-concerned and half-exasperated.

''Gimme some water, please?'' Lance helped Keith sitting down on the ground. ''I think he's just overwhelmed.''

He grabbed the water bottle Hunk was handing him, then sat in front of Keith.

''Here, drink some,'' he opened the cap, then gave the bottle to Keith.

''On a scale of one to ten, how bad is it?'' Shiro asked as they joined the others.

''I'd say a five, because at four you puke,'' Lance informed him. ''And he didn't faint, or cried his heart out,'' he then proceeded to wipe Keith's eyes softly.

Keith nodded his head, gulping on the water avidly. He felt so ashamed. The rollercoaster wasn't even that big and he nearly peed himself.

''You guys can go do something else, I think he's done for the day,'' Lance smiled, looking up at the people surrounding them.

''I can do the carousel,'' Keith mumbled.

''Okay, so we'll be in the carousel for the next four hours if you're searching us,'' Lance joked. ''Or, like, eating cotton candy somewhere.''

''I can stay with him, you know,'' Shiro offered. ''I can take care of my baby bro.''

''And I can't?'' Lance smirked. ''No, just go have some fun, I'll go ruin myself in booths and it'll be nice.''

''Sure?'' Hunk asked.

Lance hummed, nodding his head.

''Sure sure?'' Hunk inquired, knowing Lance selflessness often pushed him in doing things he didn't really want to do.

After all, it was Lance that had the idea of going to the fair, and he loved rides and attractions.

''Sure sure sure,'' Lance winked, whipping his slightly sweaty forehead with the back on his hand. ''Now, shoo. I'll text one of you if something happen or if we're back in the mood for bigger rides.''

They all said goodbye to each other, then the group left the two boys to go to the pirate ship.

''You don't have to do this, Lance,'' Keith cleared his throat, his mind slowly clearing out. ''Just drive me home or something, it'll be fine.''

''No, I said it's okay, and you paid for getting in here not two hours ago, so I'm not driving you home unless we don't have choice,'' he shrugged, relaxing his shoulders. ''Are you okay for standing up?''

Keith nodded his head, watching Lance getting up. He grabbed the tanned hand that was handed to him and got up, not without feeling his head spin a little. Rollercoasters were really not for him. Lance replaced his clothes meticulously, making sure his pastel shirt wasn't crumpled or dirty.

''Thanks, Lance,'' Keith smiled weakly.

"Don't mention it, it's no problem," Lance brushed it off.

"I meant, thanks for putting up with my shit," Keith continued. "Like, I'm really dumb and stubborn and I can be pretty mean sometimes..."

"Is that..." Lance squinted his eyes. "Is that self-depreciation that I hear?"

"What? No, it's just the truth," Keith frowned.

Lance raised one eyebrow, unimpressed. He did remember very clearly Keith scolding him for making a self-depreciating joke.

"Don't look at me like that," Keith whined, pushing Lance's face away. "You doing the same face that Shiro does when he's disappointed."

"I think you need to cheer up a little, and stop being so stuck up and secretive," Lance blurted out. "Come on, let's have some fun. Relax a bit, just have a good time."

Keith sighed, "Fine."

That brought back Lance's beautiful smile on his face.

"Awesome," he nodded his head. "Now, I'm gonna win you something to get a smile back on your face. You're prettier when you smile, Keithy cat."

With that, he grabbed Keith's hand and pulled him to the booths.

 

* * *

 

 

"Stop looking at your phone, Hunk," Shay sighed.

"Sorry," the tanned guy put his phone back in his pocket. "I'm just concerned."

They were in a knockoff teacups ride, slowly turning the disk in the middle to make the cup turn.

"If something happens, Lance will text one of us, he told us he would," Shay crossed her arms.

She wouldn't admit it, but she loved having Hunk's attention on herself.

"You're right, sorry," Hunk pouted.

They heard a loud shriek, then a cup passed beside theirs, clearly spinning faster than it should.

"Pidge probably regrets going in with Matt and Shiro, now," Shay giggled, making Hunk laugh as well.

They watched as Pidge's small figure tried to fight gravity by aiming to hit their brother on the face.

"I mean, we could get faster too," Hunk glanced at Shay.

She smirked, moving a little to face Hunk. They started turning the disk faster, until their cup was moving fast enough Shay slid down the seat to Hunk, laughing loudly. They heard the shriek again as their friends' cup came around, this time spotting a pair of glasses taking off and falling beside the attraction.

"Oh shit," Shay gasped, then burst out laughing even louder.

"MY FUCKING GLASSES, MATT."

The ride ended soon after, Hunk and Shay still laughing as they ran out of the attraction to pick up Pidge's glasses.

"If mom learns I broke and/or lost my glasses, I'm blaming this all on you two," Pidge spat, nearly falling down a trip of stairs they didn't see. "Fucking gays, am I right?"

"That's homophobic," Matt retorted.

"That's Mattphobic," Pidge groaned, stopping just before they run into Hunk.

They looked up at him, squinting their eyes.

"Can't see shit, are you Hunk?"

"Yep, and I've got your glasses," he beamed, handing them their glasses.

"Thank you Jesus," Matt whispered, looking up to the sky.

"So," Pidge put their glasses back on, then glared at their brother. "Never again with you. While Hunk and Shay were on a joyful, romantic ballad, you two fucking dragged me to Hell and back."

They then looked at Shay and Hunk, who were both wearing a soft blush on their cheeks.

"I swear to you, I saw Lucifer."

Hunk smiled at that.

"So, what should we do now?" Shay asked.

"Well, we did all the rides here," Shiro said. "Other than that... there are booths, food, or face painting for kids. Pidge you could go."

"Fuck you," Pidge hit Shiro on the chest, and he didn't feel a thing.

But he didn't told them. Otherwise, he would become their personal punching bag.

"We could redo some rides," Hunk suggested. "Pirate ship is nice."

"And the rollercoaster was chill too," Matt added.

"Yeah, I want to do it this time," Pidge nodded their head.

"But you said you didn't like rollercoasters?" Hunk frowned. "You can wait on the side with me."

"Nah, I actually like them, I just want Keith to socialize more," Pidge smirked.

"So, rollercoaster first?" Shiro announced.

They all nodded their head, so they got to the rollercoaster.

"I want to try it!" Shay smiled, then she wrapped her arm around Hunk's. "Want to try it with me?"

"Uuuuh, it's not necessary, go with Pidge," Hunk chickened out.

"I don't mind being alone," Pidge shrugged.

They all stopped in front of the attraction.

"Come on! Do it with me! I'm scared too!" she did her best puppy eyes.

Hunk really really _really_ didn't want to go in, but then he found himself agreeing. He just couldn't help it, and anyways the kiss on his cheek was totally worth it.

So they waited in line, Shay noticing Hunk's nervousness. She talked to him about everything and anything, glad to see that her tactic to advert his attention from the ride worked.

"So, Shay," Matt spoke at one moment. "Do you have a boyfriend?"

"Why do you want to know?" Shiro frowned, glancing down at where Matt's arm was around his.

"I'm asking for a friend," Matt rolled his eyes.

"You don't have friends," Pidge snickered, which only earned them an elbow in the guts.

"Well, no, I don't," Shay answered shyly. "You have a friend that is interested... in me?"

Just asking the question got her cheeks to turn bright red. Her heart was beating faster than it should.

"Yeah, actually," Matt looked at Hunk for only a second, but in that second he saw his own death if he didn't shut up, "I know someone who thinks you're really cute and really nice as well."

"Really?" Shay's grip on Hunk's arm tightened. "Who?"

"Sorry baby, I don't kiss and tell," he finger gunned Shay with his free hand.

"What about I kiss and you tell?" Shiro raised one eyebrow.

"What? Don't kiss Shay—" Matt was interrupted by a very real pair of lips on his own, followed by three loud gasps.

The kiss ended way too quickly, and Matt still didn't understand what just happened.

"Oh, my God," Hunk whispered, eyes wide.

Matt was silent, eyes even wider and mouth slightly opened.

"Matt.exe has stopped working," Pidge poked their brother's cheek, without a reaction.

Instead, Matt looked up at Shiro.

"W-what."

"I kissed you, now you tell her," Shiro's cheeks were as red as Matt's.

"I... I don't," Matt cleared his throat. "It doesn't count, I-I wasn't ready..."

"Oh," Shiro frowned. "I'm sorry, I didn't—"

"Now I am," Matt grasped Shiro shirt, pulling him closer, and he slammed their mouths together.

Hunk gasped again, as Shay cooed loudly.

''They're so cute,'' she whispered to Hunk, smiling from ear to ear. ''Wish I had a boyfriend like that.''

The glance she shot at Hunk wasn't subtle, but the boy didn't see it.

''They're not dating,'' Hunk replied as quietly. ''I mean, last time I checked, they were not.''

''So this is...'' her mouth opened in a small 'o'. ''This is even cuter, I love them already.''

Hunk smiled softly, then he realized the waiting line had gotten shorter by the minutes and they were still standing in the beginning of it.

''Guys,'' he then stared at Matt and Shiro, who were still kissing. Not that it was awkward to watch, but it was awkward to watch. He cleared his throat, adverting his eyes. ''The line...''

Pidge and Shay looked at Matt and Shiro, who seemed completely lost in their little gay world for noticing anything else than the others.

''Gross,'' Pidge winced, then they slapped Matt's arm strong enough to make him yelp. ''Stop sucking each other's tongue and follow the line. We're in public. Also, congrats.''

Matt pushed Pidge away, a shy blush creeping on his skin. Shiro wrapped his arm around Matt's waist, walking further in the line with the same blush on his cheeks. Their hearts were pounding fast, and they both couldn't really believe what just had happened.

''Hey!'' they all heard someone shout over the crowd.

Hunk turned around and spotted Lance and Keith, who were waving their arms above their heads like crazy. Lance had a huge shark plushie in his arm, while Keith was wearing a purple cheetah prints cowboy hat. Both boys ran to their friends, joining them in the waiting line.

''I see you were able to win something,'' Shiro noticed obviously, maybe a little jealously too because he hadn't been able to win something for Matt. ''Twice.''

Lance was about to reply something, but Keith spoke first. And fast.

''Lance won the hat and I won the shark for him,'' he rushed. ''It was the biggest prize, there was only one, and I won it! Only at the sixth time I tried! I think the employee was tired of being there, so they probably made me win, but still!''

The boy was shaking, which concerned everyone except Lance.

''He ate like five complete bags of cotton candy,'' Lance told the others. ''He'll probably die of a heart attack in a few hours, so let the boy have a good last time.''

That made the Shay and Pidge laugh, while Keith was playing with the rim of his hat absentmindedly. Shiro still looked pretty concerned, but his brother seemed fine other than that, so he let go of it.

''You know what this hat makes me think of?'' he asked Lance.

''No?''

''Of the song _Your Man_ ,'' Keith giggled.

Lance wanted to facepalm himself because _Of fucking course._

''What's that?'' Hunk frowned.

''It's a country song,'' Lance told him. ''It goes like...''

He hesitated singing, because everyone was looking at him curiously.

''Go, sing it,'' Keith smirked. ''I dare you.''

Lance sighed, ''It goes like... _Baby lock the doors and turn the lights down low_.''

''Oh, that song!'' Hunk remembered, as everyone else burst out laughing.

Lance felt his cheeks burn. He liked making people laugh, but he didn't like being made fun of.

''You sing it better than Josh Turner,'' Keith told him with a shy smile.

''The fact that you know the name of the guy who sings this makes me think that you've actually genuinely listened to this song more than once,'' Lance joked.

''I'm from Texas, what do you expect,'' Keith replied, which made Lance smile again, ever so brightly.

He then slurped on his water bottle, which was now filled with a mix of rootbeer and fruit punch.

''Are you doing all the rollercoaster again?'' Keith asked Lance, not waiting for an answer. ''I want to try it again. Can I?''

He looked at Lance, as if the tanned boy would know.

''Do what you want, just remember how you felt the first time you rode it,'' Lance shrugged.

''It's always scarier the first time,'' Keith pushed the hat further on his head. ''It's like that with everything. Can I?''

This time he asked Shiro, who wanted to say no but didn't care anymore.

''I don't deal with you if you're sick after,'' he warned his brother, who only nodded his head. ''Promise?''

''Promise,'' Keith beamed.

''Uh, where's Allura?'' Lance asked suddenly, realizing that the tall girl wasn't here anymore.

''She left about an hour ago,'' Shay answered him. ''She said she had something to do.''

''Someone called her just before she left,'' Hunk added.

''The name on her phone was 'Babe' with about forty heart emojis,'' Pidge pointed out, wiggling their eyebrows. ''I feel like she's not telling us something.''

Lance whistled.

''Everybody's getting themselves a bae these days,'' he glanced at Matt, Shiro, Hunk and Shay shamelessly. ''Makin' me feel lonely and shit.''

''Dude, you're the only one here with a real date,'' Pidge rolled their eyes. ''Just because your fancy ass gangster can't be here today doesn't mean you're all lonely and shit.''

Lance pouted, hugging his plushie.

''Maybe he's doing some fancy ass gangster stuff right now, maybe he'll end up in jail... and I'm just here, lonely damsel that I am, wondering if my fancy ass gangster will ever come home,'' he deadpanned. ''I really don't like the fact that he's a fancy—''

''You say fancy ass gangster one more time I make you eat this dirt right here right now,'' Matt snapped.

''Alright,'' Lance rolled his eyes. ''Whatever. It's our turn soon.''

Hunk wrapped his free arm around Lance's shoulders, hugging him softly. Lance leaned against his best friend, sighing weakly.

''Can I hug you too?''

Lance looked at Keith, who, let's admit it, was the only person in this world to pull out a purple cheetah print cowboy hat that well.

''Of course, Billy the Kid wannabe,'' Lance opened one arm to let Keith nest himself under it.

''I'm still scared like Hell,'' Keith admitted, leaning his head on Lance's chest.

''Same, dude,'' Hunk shook his head. ''What we wouldn't do for pretty eyes, hm?''

Keith nodded his head, as Shay giggled, a smile stretching her lips softly. They waited in silence, Pidge, Shiro and Matt chatting about something the others didn't really want to care about. The sun was slowly going down, making the air warm and humid.

When it was their turn, Matt and Shiro got in the first cart, Pidge in the second, Lance and Keith in the third, and Hunk chose the fourth one. They could all hear Hunk regret his decision, and just before the train started moving, Shiro left a good luck kiss on Matt's lips.

''Holy shit,'' Keith gasped, nearly slapping Lance's face when he tried to get his attention.

''Calm down, Keith, jeez,'' Lance took Keith's hand and put it down. ''I shouldn't have given you that much sugar.''

Keith huffed, annoyed, and kept his hand in Lance's.

''Shiro just kissed Matt,'' he whispered on a secretive tone.

''What?'' Lance frowned, looking at the first cart. ''Dude, you're getting delusional. Do you have diabetes?''

''No? Lance!'' Keith whined. ''I swear I saw them!''

''Alright, alright,'' Lance sighed. ''So everybody really is getting their bae.''

Keith hummed, ''Matt and Shiro.''

''Hunk and Shay too, I feel like they're getting along pretty well.''

Keith nodded his head, ''Pidge isn't searching for anyone, so their bae is their eternal love for hating people.''

Lance snorted, hiding his mouth with his free hand. Keith laughed as well, little giggles bubbling up and out of his mouth. They didn't realize they were still in the ride until they went down the first drop, both guys shrieking out their lungs. Keith was swearing loudly every time the train took a sharp turn or dropped suddenly, making Lance laugh along.

The ride ended quicker than what Keith had remembered, and this time, he wasn't crying.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's gettin' freaky in here ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) 
> 
> What do y'all think of the story by now? I'm really curious to know if I'm doing this right!
> 
> \--
> 
> Thank you so much for all your likes and your comments, they are very much appreciated!


	11. Black

"Okay, guys, I'm in his room. Over."

Keith and Lance looked at each other with a serious expression on both of their faces.

"Alright," Lance whispered in the Walkie-talkie. "What's the situation? Over."

"He's asleep," the Walkie-talkie was emitting a lot of static, but they still could hear Pidge over it. "Deeply asleep, he didn't hear me get in. Over."

Lance glanced at Hunk, who still looked half asleep on the couch.

"Pidge's in his room, everything's okay for now," he told him.

Hunk hummed, nodding his head. He didn't know why he agreed to do this, neither how Matt had convinced him it was a great idea.

"Do what you have to do, we'll wait here," Lance told Pidge. "Over."

"Why is it me doing it again?" Pidge groaned.

Keith grabbed the Walkie-talkie from Lance's hands.

"You're the smallest one of us," he replied. "So you're less loud and more discreet. Now go, his alarm rings in fifteen minutes. Over."

Pidge didn't reply. Lance took the Walkie-talkie back in his hand, wanting to be the one controlling the situation.

"And don't forget, if anything happens, Matt's waiting for you in the hallway," Lance added quietly. "Over."

The Walkie-talkie stayed quiet for at least five minutes, five minutes in which Lance and Keith's nervousness increased dramatically. There was only silence, except for Hunk's subtle snores.

"Can't believe he's fallen asleep when there's this much tension in the room," Lance huffed. "Our mission is at a hit or miss state right now."

"Not everybody is this awake at 5 in the morning, Lance."

"I know, but still," Lance huffed.

He leaned his head on Keith's shoulder, sighing heavily.

"Matt better be thankful that we put up with his shit like that," he continued. "I've got an exam in three hours, and yet I'm playing spies while-"

"Okay guys, I got it," Pidge told them. "I'm heading back to the headquarter. Over."

"Nice job, Pidge," Lance told them happily.

"Shiro's going to be so mad," Keith shook his head.

"What? No," Lance brushed it off with a swift movement of his hand. "He won't even notice it's gone."

"Lance, it's his fucking right arm," Keith retorted. "How could he not notice it?"

Lance lost his assured expression, hesitating.

"Well, it'll be quick, we just have to give it back as quick as possible."

"I'm not the one giving it back," Keith said quickly.

"Me neither," Lance put the Walkie-talkie down on the floor beside him.

Keith leaned his head on Lance's, then the front door opened on the Holt siblings.

"Okay, we have about seven minutes to do this," Matt ran to the kitchen with Shiro's prosthetic in his hands.

"Shiro's gonna kill us," Keith whined as Lance pulled him to the kitchen. "He's just gonna wake up with his arm, his brother and his maybe-someday-future-boyfriend's sibling missing."

"I wanna bet he's gonna call the police, but then that would only put us in more trouble," Lance winced. "Matt, I sure do hope you know what you're doing."

"Six minutes, Matt," Pidge announced as they were the one responsible for checking the time.

"Jeez beez," Matt squealed.

He then started actually doing what he had planned, as the others watched nervously.

"I'm not the one putting it back in his room," Pidge shook their head. "No way."

"Dude, I'm gonna pay you $100 if you put it back there," Matt said seriously. "I don't want to ruin my relationship with him."

"And me ruining it is ok?" Pidge scoffed.

"It's not the same thing, you're friends with him, you've known him for longer and he's your roommate," Matt replied.

Pidge's face darkened at the thought of ruining their friendship with Shiro. The guy was basically their second brother.

"I'll do it for $200," they conceded.

"What?" Matt coughed. "Alright, but I'll still need your help after that."

"Deal."

Matt silently prayed for his suffering bank account. The minutes passed by too quickly, and soon Pidge announced that they didn't have time anymore.

''His alarm rings in less than two minutes, we still have to give his arm back,'' Pidge told them.

''Fuck,'' Matt muttered. ''Okay, go put it back.''

He shoved the plastic arm in Pidge's arm.

''I'm gonna go with you,'' Keith said as Pidge headed towards the door quickly.

''Me too! I'll wait outside if things heat up,'' Lance added, running beside Pidge and Keith.

They ran to the elevator, Pidge checking their phone every three seconds nervously. The ride from the fourth to the second floor seemed interminable. When the metallic doors finally opened, they sprinted out and got to their dorm, opening the door as quietly as possible.

''Okay, go Pidge,'' Keith whispered, eyeing Shiro's room with fear.

Pidge looked like they were walking to their death when they headed to Shiro's room. Keith held in his breath, glancing behind him. Lance looked as terrified, and the tanned boy reached his hand to grab Keith's. He closed the door behind him, locking it ever so silently. They then heard Shiro's alarm blaring loudly, and Pidge got out of the room bolting as fast as they could.

''Go to your room, shit,'' they whispered loudly. ''I think he saw me.''

Keith muttered a ''Shit'' under his breath, then pulled Lance to his room quickly.

''What?'' Lance murmured. ''Keith, what the fuck-''

Keith closed the door behind them, clearly panicking.

''We have to pretend we were sleeping,'' he was staring at Lance with wide eyes. ''Shiro usually comes wake me up Tuesday mornings because we have classes at the same time and-''

''He's not going to wonder why the fuck I'm in your bed?'' Lance rushed.

''No?'' Keith couldn't even convince himself. ''Yes, but we don't really have choice, do we?''

''I could've just walked out and go back to my dorm,'' Lance retorted.

''I'm sorry, I panicked!''

Keith was pacing around the room nervously, glancing at the door every now and then. Shiro could walk in at any moment, confused about what happened, or even worse, pissed off.

''Do you bring people in your room often when you panic or am I just special?'' Lance said in a tone that made Keith want to punch him in the face.

Keith then heard footsteps outside his room.

''Shut up and get in my bed!'' he pushed Lance to his bed.

''Woh, at least take me on a date befo-''

''Lance just fucking pretend you're sleeping for fuck's sake,'' Keith pulled the blankets on them quickly, laid down on the mattress and turned his back to Lance.

He closed his eyes just in time before the door of his room opened softly.

''Keith, it's time to wake up,'' Shiro sing-sang gently, going to his window (yes, Keith had the luck to have the only room with a window) and opening the curtains to let the sunlight in. ''You have to-''

He noticed that there was another person in Keith's bed. Keith faked waking up, a blush creeping on his whole body when he saw Shiro's shocked face. He sat up on the mattress, looking at his brother with shame.

''Uh, good morning,'' he coughed awkwardly, eyeing the tanned boy beside him.

If Keith didn't know that Lance was faking, he couldn't have guessed it. Lance looked like he was sleeping peacefully, laying on his belly and hugging the pillow with his arms. The sunlight was making his freckled skin glow, and Keith wondered when the fuck had Lance taken off his shirt between the moment he got in bed and the moment Shiro got in.

''I,'' Shiro started off a sentence, but he didn't know what to say.

He cleared his throat, wondering if he should leave Keith and Lance alone.

''Are you going to miss your first class?'' he asked.

''No, no, we're still going to class this morning,'' Keith regretted. So, so much.

Shiro was staring in awe, opening and closing his mouth a few times before speaking.

''Sorry, I'm just shocked,'' he cleared his throat again. ''It's just that... even between Matt and I it wasn't that  _quick_. I mean, we didn't even...''

''What?'' if Keith's face was red a few seconds ago, now it had lost all its color. ''No! Shiro, no! We didn't... h-he just slept here. Like, in sleeping. We didn't...''

''Keith, it's okay, I won't judge,'' Shiro said softly.

Keith wanted to die on the spot. Lance, of course, decided it would be the right moment to 'wake up', and the boy stretched his limbs lazily, letting out a small satisfied groan.

''G'morning,'' he said to Keith, a small smirk on his lips. He then turned to Shiro, faking to be surprised by his presence. ''Good morning too, Shiro.''

''Hi,'' Shiro replied with a smile. ''I hope I don't come out too bluntly but why are you here, exactly?''

Lance sat up on the mattress as well, taking his time like Keith's reputation wasn't at stake.

''Well,'' his voice sounded hoarse, and Keith hated the effect that voice had on him. ''I came here last night, we watched movies and I must've fallen asleep at some time.''

''Oh, well,'' Shiro scratched his jaw awkwardly. ''Sorry for waking you up this early.''

''It's okay, Keith had warned me last night,'' Lance giggled, looking at Keith with shining eyes.

Keith was shocked on how good was Lance at improvising a story, and how gullible Shiro was.

''Alright, well, I'm gonna leave you two,'' Shiro announced. ''Don't forget to get to your class before 8, Keith.''

''Yeah, yeah, don't worry,'' Keith ran his fingers in his hair shyly.

Shiro headed towards the door, then stopped just before getting out.

''Uh, did you hear something weird, like a few minutes ago? I think I saw someone in my room? And my arm wasn't at the same spot I left it before going to sleep,'' Shiro pouted confusedly. ''I thought I saw Pidge, but then, why would they take my arm? That just doesn't make sense.''

Lance coughed loudly to cover his laughter, as Keith took a second or two to cover their story.

''Maybe you woke up during the night and grabbed it unconsciously,'' he suggested. ''It happened before. And you probably just hallucinated Pidge, or maybe it was a dream.''

''Yeah,'' Shiro frowned thoughtfully. ''Maybe. That would make more sense. Anyway, I'm leaving soon because I need to print something at the library and I'm gonna grab something to eat  _en route_.''

''Okay, have a good day,'' Keith smiled, hoping his nervousness didn't show.

''Yeah, have a nice day, Shiro,'' Lance beamed.

Shiro waved at them, then left the room and closed the door behind him.

''That was close,'' Lance sighed.

''Y-yeah,'' Keith nodded his head, folding his legs against his chest.

''Can't believe your brother thought we fucked,'' Lance giggled. ''Why would he think that?''

''Maybe because you were shirtless in my bed, I don't know,'' Keith said sarcastically.

''Well, I'm sorry, I usually sleep shirtless, or naked, but I thought that being naked in your bed was a little extreme, so I just took my shirt off,'' Lance huffed.

Keith looked down at Lance's chest.

''Victoria's Secret, uh?''

''What?'' Lance touched his sports bra, looking a bit insecure. ''I just... they're pretty and I like the pressure they give, I-I...''

His cheeks turned pink.

''Yeah, they're pretty,'' Keith agreed. ''But this one's all used. Look.''

He pointed the worn out edges and the discolored fabric.

''I know, but...'' Lance took a deep breath, avoiding to look at Keith. ''I'm not... comfortable to go to these places. I always feel like people are judging me, and I see the way they look at me, how they glance at my shirt or, even worse, my crotch, and I just want to buy sports bra without having to deal with nosy people.''

''Oh...'' Keith had a concerned expression on his face. ''Couldn't you buy them online?''

Lance shrugged, ''I guess, but I like to try them on. To get the feel, you know?''

Keith didn't know, but he nodded his head anyway.

''Of course you don't know,'' Lance smiled softly. ''But that's okay.''

''I could go shopping with you,'' Keith offered. ''I'll glare at everyone who stares at you.''

''You don't have to do that,'' Lance shook his head, grabbing his shirt from the floor. ''It's my problem to deal with.''

''You deserve to feel and be safe in public like anyone else does,'' Keith replied.

Lance put on his shirt, then looked at Keith with hopeful eyes.

''You would do that for me? Really?'' he whispered. ''Because I know Hunk and Matt don't feel comfortable in those places.''

''I don't mind,'' Keith shrugged, staring into those mesmerizing blue eyes. ''I've went to Victoria's Secret hundreds of times with Allura, and I want to help you.''

Lance smiled widely, ''Thank you, Keith. That... that means a lot.''

Keith grinned softly at Lance, who wrapped him in a tight hug.

''It's my pleasure, Lance,'' Keith hugged him back, chuckling lowly.

Lance pushed Keith so he'd lay back on the mattress, giggling.

''We could go shopping this weekend,'' he beamed, laying beside Keith and leaning his chin on Keith's shoulder. ''I've heard there were sales at some shops.''

''It'll be crowded as hell,'' Keith remarked, feeling his cheeks turn red at Lance's closeness.

''Yeah, but sales, Keith,'' Lance giggled. ''I'm a broke college student.''

''Alright,'' Keith laughed, wrapping one of his arms around Lance's shoulder. ''I'm free Saturday, is that okay with you?''

''Yeah, I only work early in the morning, so we'll go in the afternoon,'' Lance decided.

Keith nodded his head, smiling fondly at the tanned boy. Lance smiled back at him, staring at the dimples on the boy's cheeks. An impulsive thought invaded his mind, basically screaming at him to kiss those dimples again and again. Lance was really bad at controlling his impulsive thoughts, so he tried to focus on something else instead. He stared into Keith's eyes, that strange gray-purple-ish shade that fascinated him more than he would admit.

''Your eyes are purple,'' he stated the obvious, mostly because he can't keep his mouth shut for so long.

''Yeah, and yours are blue,'' Keith replied matter-of-factly.

''I've never seen someone with purple eyes,'' Lance continued. ''Are you wearing contact lenses?''

''No, why would I wear contact lenses, Lance?''

Lance shrugged, leaning on his elbow to look at Keith properly.

''It's just that purple is unusual,'' he smiled. ''But it's really pretty. Reminds me of the stars and space. Cool space.''

Keith chuckled, ''Cool space?''

''Yeah,'' Lance nodded his head. ''As opposed to the void, which is less cool 'cause it's sounds scarier.''

Keith laughed cutely, making Lance smile proudly. The tanned boy looked down at Keith's mouth, the impulsive voice in his head coming back louder with the same  _KISS KISS KISS_ chant. He tried to shut the voice up, to think of anything else, but the voice was getting louder and louder. He slowly lost his smile, his heart starting to beat faster and a warmth growing in the middle of his chest as the seconds passed by.

 _You can't kiss him, he's your friend_ , another voice, the rational one, was ringing softly in his head.  _What about Lotor?_

Sadly, Lance wasn't the one for taking rational decisions. Keith had slowly lost his smile too, noticing Lance's particular attention on his lips. He felt like his heart was going to beat out of his chest as Lance leaned closer, pressing their foreheads together. If Lance would follow his instinct, he would kiss Keith's lips hungrily. He would kiss him until they're breathless, until they're both gasping for air and blushing like fifth graders after their first kiss. If Lance had kissed Keith...

But he didn't.

 

* * *

 

Hunk tried to stifle his laugh, in vain. Lance was imitating Iverson, who was trying to give his class for at least 20 minutes. Every time he said something that Lance could turn into an argument, the tanned boy would raise his hand, or just speak louder than Iverson, to argue with what he just said. Half of the class found it hilarious, which was why Lance continued, while the other half of the class just wanted to pass the class and get out of there as quick as possible.

''S-stop,'' Hunk giggled. ''I can't breathe.''

Lance had, somehow, turned the whole subject of the course on whether pineapple should go on pizza or not. Iverson got caught in the argument, which made the whole thing ever funnier.

''But if you say fruit doesn't go on pizza, why do we put tomatoes on pizza?'' Lance shot back at Iverson, who was now seeing red.

''Jesus fucking Christ,'' Pidge whispered, holding in their laughter. ''When will this end?''

''Lance McClain, get out of this class,'' Iverson spat.

''What for?'' Lance faked ignorance.

Iverson let out an angry groan.

''You are disturbing my class with impertinent arguments, now leave.''

''Gladly,'' Lance packed up his things peacefully, then shot finger guns at Iverson before leaving the class.

Hunk was holding back tears of laughter. Lance and he had Iverson as their teacher in their previous semesters, and Lance being expelled for the day had happened more than once.

''I can't believe it,'' Pidge whispered as Iverson tried to regain control of the classroom. ''Why does he do that? How will he pass the class?''

''He just hates Iverson so much,'' Hunk replied, wiping his eyes with his thumbs. "And he's got a natural talent for English, he needs to go to class only when Iverson's giving important info about exams."

"Garrett, Holt, if you don't want to be expelled just like your  _friend_ ," he spat the last word with a disgusted expression on his face, "I advise you to keep both of your mouths shut."

Hunk's cheeks turned red of embarrassment, as Pidge didn't even seem to care.

The rest of the class went well, if well means Iverson would yell at anyone who could possibly disturb his class. Once the class was finally over, Hunk and Pidge got out of the room.

"Is tonight's Game Night still going on?" Pidge asked.

"Yeah, I think so," Hunk nodded his head. "Lance invited a lot of people, tho; he invited Shiro, Allura and Shay, and with everyone that was already there last week, we surely won't fit on our couch."

Pidge whistled.

"That's a lot," they commented.

"Yeah," Hunk nodded his head, taking his phone and looking at his notifications. "Lance is at the food court, wanna join us for dinner?"

"Sure," Pidge smiled.

They both headed out of the building, Hunk chatting about the new cooking techniques Shay taught him.

"You sure do seem to like Shay," Pidge smirked.

"Well, she's sweet and nice, and she cooks really well," Hunk shrugged his shoulders, as if he didn't care.

"What do they say? The way to a man's heart is through his stomach?"

Hunk smiled, defeated.

"I like her, but I don't really know her well, so I want to befriend her before maybe going further," he told Pidge.

"I think that's the best thing to do," Pidge agreed. "Get to know the person, be friends with them."

Hunk hummed. His phone then rang, Pidge recognizing his ringtone as one of the Spice Girls songs.

"Hello?" Hunk answered without looking at the screen. "Oh, hi Shay."

Pidge looked at him curiously.

"Yeah, you? Yeah," Hunk glanced at Pidge, who nearly tripped on their own feet because they weren't looking where they were going. "Nothing, why?"

They arrived in front of the food court, Pidge opening the door for Hunk as they both got in.

"Yeah, sure," Hunk nodded his head, as if Shay could see him. "No problem, I can borrow a friend's car. Sure."

He cleared his throat, "Amazing, see ya."

He hung up, a smile stretching his lips.

"So?" Pidge inquired as they search for one very unique brunet in the crowd of the food court.

"She... she kind of asked me out? But like, as a friend," Hunk bit his bottom lip. "To go see a movie this weekend."

"That's awesome, you'll be able to pull out The Move," Pidge exclaimed excitedly. "You know the one."

"Yeah, of course," Hunk said assuredly. He then side-glanced at Pidge. "It's the one I fake to stretch my arms and I wrap one around her shoulders?"

"That exact one," Pidge winked before noticing Lance waving at them from the other side of the room. "Looks like our favorite badass student is there."

Hunk waved back at Lance, his smile getting even wider. He and Pidge got to the table Lance was sitting at, Hunk practically buzzing when he sat in front of his best friend.

"Guess who's got a not-date with Shay?" Pidge asked Lance before Hunk could tell him the news.

"Well, since it's not me and probably not you, I'll guess it's Hunk," Lance said playfully. "How come it's a not-date? And why didn't you tell me you wanted to ask her out, buddy?"

Hunk looked into Lance's sad eyes, smiling reassuringly.

"I did no such thing, she invited me to go see a movie," he told his best friend. "As a friend, might I add."

"That's cool, amazing even," Lance's smile was back on his face. "Will you try to pull out The Move?"

Pidge laughed at that, as Hunk hummed a non-committal "Will try".

"You don't have to try, you have to succeed, Hunk!" Lance exclaimed, sounding exasperated. "I believe in you, I know you can do it!"

"Yeah, you've got it all in you somewhere," Pidge encouraged him. "It's easier than you think it is, really."

"I agree, and you can always pretend to just stretch your arms up if she looks like she's bothered by it," Lance added. "Easy peasy lemon squeezie."

"Thanks for believing in me, guys," Hunk smiled softly.

He knew there was something between him and Shay, he was just too scared to rush things and ruin their friendship.

"And I'll help you get ready too, I'm not letting you leave the house without looking fuckin' fuckable," Lance winked, making Hunk blush and mutter a weak 'Language'.

Pidge's phone suddenly rang loudly, all three people staring at the phone on the table. Keith's face appeared on the screen, and Pidge took the call.

"Sup Keith," they greeted.

Lance and Hunk watched them silently, listening as Pidge started to slowly get mad a Keith.

"What do you mean you-" they cut off their own sentence. "Just move your ass, what the fuck. It's just-"

This time they stopped talking to listen to what Keith was saying.

"No, that's just stupid, come join us," they sighed, annoyed. "I don't care Keith. Your gayness, your problem."

"Yeah, come join us, Keith," Hunk echoed in the background.

"It's only going to be awkward if you make it awkward," Pidge retorted. "Hunk and Lance want you to join us. See? You're wrong again."

There was a silence, Lance hearing Keith's slightly panicked voice as the boy spoke louder and louder.

"What's it? He doesn't want to come?" He asked Pidge. "Don't force him to do something he doesn't want to do."

Pidge shot Lance an unimpressed look. If Keith knew he could avoid Lance for the rest of his life and so on  _with_ Lance's approbation, he would.

"If you don't come, Lance will be sad," Pidge told Keith, faking a saddened voice.

"Don't manipulate him," Lance whispered, shocked, as Hunk only giggled. "That's just mean."

"Yeah? Cool, see ya in a bit," Pidge sing-sang, hanging up.

They put their phone back on the table, pushing their glasses further on their nose.

"He's coming, he'll grab something to eat and join us afterwards," they informed their friends.

"Why did you force him to come?" Lance asked. "He clearly wasn't comfortable with coming, and I understand why."

Hunk frowned as Pidge raised their eyebrows curiously.

"Why?" they both asked at the same time.

Lance hesitated, taking a deep breath. He leaned back on his chair, crossing his legs and uncrossing them awkwardly.

"I..." he scratched the back of his head shamefully. ‘’Last time I've seen him I nearly kissed him. I think I scared him."

If Pidge had been drinking something, they would've spit it all out. Hunk's jaw fell down as he stared at his best friend in disbelief.

"I-I don't even know what took me, okay? It just... I just... feel like..." Lance felt a huge knot in his throat.

Truth is he didn't know what he felt. His feelings were such a mess recently.

"I-I told Lotor I'm trans two days ago and he didn't call me back or reply to my messages, I don't know what to do with this," he continued, feeling his skin getting hotter and stickier by the seconds.

"Lance, Lance," Hunk used his soothing voice to speak to the poor boy. "It's okay," he took Lance in his arms, sitting him on his lap. "It's okay. It happens. You didn't do anything wrong."

"B-but he didn't want to see me," Lance stuttered out.

"He didn't say that, did he?" Hunk asked Lance, but he looked at Pidge.

Pidge shook their head. No, Keith didn't say he didn't want to see Lance. He said he wanted to hide in a hole forever and die peacefully under a rock.

"See? Pidge just shook their head," Hunk said softly. "It was one accident, it only happened once."

Lance nodded his head weakly, fitting his breathing at the same rhythm than Hunk's.

"I think you just have a lot on your heart right now," Pidge added quietly. "Tonight, it'll be just us, your friends, and we'll have fun and it'll be nice."

"Yeah, yeah," Lance nodded his head again, wiping the corners of his eyes to wipe the thumbs that threatened to fall down his cheeks. "Okay, yeah. Okay."

Hunk stroked his back softly, glaring at everyone that was curiously looking at them.

"Okay," Lance sat straighter on Hunk's lap, rolling his shoulders in an attempt to relax his body.

He looked around the table, spotting Keith walking far far away.

"Oh shit," he sat back on his chair, replacing his hair nervously. "Nothing happened, alright? He can't see me like this."

He wiped the corners of his eyes subtly, regulating his breathing.

"Hey Keith," he greeted cheerfully the boy as he arrived.

"Hi," Keith replied, eyeing Hunk and Pidge.

Both had a weird expression on their faces. Pidge looked defeated while Hunk seemed downright sad.

"Something wrong?" he frowned, sitting down beside Lance.

"Yeah, your hair," Lance retorted, a playful smirk on his lips. "We were talking about Hunk's not-date with Shay this weekend."

"What's a not-date?" Keith asked, confused.

"It's because it's a friendly date," Pidge explained. "They're not going as dates, but as friends."

"Oh," was Keith's only response.

"Yeah, and he's going to pull out The Move," Lance waggled his eyebrows exaggeratedly.

"The Move?"

"Well, you know the one," Lance shrugged, not actually believing that Keith didn't know about the said move. "Wait, you don't?"

"No?" Keith squinted his eyes at Lance, sure that he was messing with him.

Lance stared at him in awe.

"Keith is the epitome of an uncultured emo in his natural habitat," Pidge joked, which made Hunk and Lance snort a laughter.

"What's 'The Move'?" Keith asked, getting impatient.

Lance exchanged a look with Hunk and Pidge.

"Well, you see," he stretched his back lazily, raising both of his arms in the air. "The Move is," he put down one arm around Keith's shoulders smoothly, "something that people usually do when they're on a date, usually at the movies, to get things on."

"I'd say it's something someone pulls off to try to get closer to their date, or non-date," Pidge smirked, watching Lance's arm get tighter on Keith's shoulders.

"But what is it? How do you do it?" Keith frowned.

He looked at Lance for an answer, but the tanned boy only smiled wider, clearly holding back his laughter.

"Dude," Keith frowned, glancing at Pidge and Hunk.

Both of them seemed on the verge of bursting into laughing, which annoyed Keith even more.

"What's it? It's funny to see Keith being such an uncultured swine?" he spat, crossing his arms on his chest.

"Keith, Lance pulled out The Move on you and you didn't even notice," Pidge snickered as Hunk started laughing loudly.

"What?" Keith looked so confused, staring at Lance with lost eyes.

Lance poked Keith's bicep with his finger, making the smaller boy look at Lance's hand on his shoulder.

"I don't understand," Keith whined, getting frustrated.

"Keith," Lance sighed, taking his arm off of his shoulders. "This is The Move. You've probably seen it in movies thousands of times."

Lance redid The Move, as Keith's face flushed in realization.

"Oh," he avoided to look at Hunk or Pidge, who were both laughing at him shamelessly. "I-I didn't notice because..."

He didn't finish his sentence. Instead, he looked up at the only person who wasn't laughing their ass off at him.

"Yeah, I know, I do this all the time," Lance smiled softly, winking at him. "Not as in The Move, but really, the only difference between The Move and what I'm doing is the motive behind it."

Keith nodded his head shyly, replacing a strand of hair behind his ear. He wondered for a second what was Lance's motive.

''So, Hunk, you're going to pull The Move on Shay?'' he took the conversation back where they stopped it.

"Yeah, well, I'll try," Hunk shrugged, cheeks turning slightly pink. "If there's the right moment and stuff, sure. But last thing I want is to turn things awkward."

Keith nodded, understanding.

"Nothing's gonna turn awkward," Lance reassured his best friend. "Because who wouldn't want to be in your arms, seriously?"

"No one," Pidge agreed. "You're like a giant, cuddly teddy bear."

That seemed to reassure Hunk a little.

"And I can still pretend it was in a friendly way," he nodded his head. "Just like you do with Keith, Lance."

"Yeah, just go smoothly and she won't even notice," Lance winked at Hunk.

Keith huffed at that, looking away.

"So," Lance continued, this time speaking to Keith. "You comin' tonight?"

''Maybe,'' he shrugged.

Pidge snorted, ''Of course he'll come. Shiro's coming so it's sure that he's going to force Keith to come as well.''

''Does Shiro take decision for you like that all the time?'' Lance wondered curiously, a playful smirk on his lips.

''I wish he didn't,'' Keith muttered under his breath. ''I mean, I'm turning twenty this year, I can make decisions on my own.''

''Bad decisions, but still decisions,'' Pidge joked.

''Shut up, Pidge, you're twelve, you can't understand,'' Keith spat.

Pidge didn't take offence at all, instead they just laugh at Keith's immaturity. 

''I get it,'' Lance agreed with Keith. ''My older brother and sister used to baby me all the time. That's why I live on campus now. I can do things by myself.''

Keith blew a raspberry at Pidge, as to say 'Look, I am right'. 

''So are you coming tonight or not? I have to know how many tacos to cook,'' Hunk didn't want to push Keith, but he needed to know.

''We're eating tacos?'' Lance exclaimed. ''Aw yiissssss,'' he looked at Keith in the eye. ''Hunk's tacos are the best,  _chico lindo_ , you have to try them.''

Hunk groaned, rolling his eyes. 

''Stop calling him that, Lance.''

Lance brushed him off.

''Okay, I'll come,'' Keith nodded his head. ''If Lance tells me what the fuck  _chico lindo_  means.''

Lance hesitated, suddenly regretting his own words.

''We could check on Google Translate,'' Pidge offered. 

''What? No, Keith doesn't need to know what it means,'' Lance laughed nervously. 

''You've been calling me that ever since we first met, I think I deserve to know what your insult is about,'' Keith retorted, slightly pissed off.

Lance and Hunk stared at him in awe.

''You... you think it's an insult?'' Lance raised one eyebrow.

''Dude,'' Hunk whispered. 

''Why would you think I'm insulting you?'' Lance asked, slightly confused and still shocked.

''I-I don't know! You always pester about m-my hair, I know what  _chico_ means, I just thought you were insulting me,'' Keith blurted out. ''If it's not an insult, then what is it?''

''Dude,'' Hunk repeated, ever so quietly.

He was staring at Keith in disbelief. 

''It's...'' Lance shared a look with Hunk, cheeks turning a bright red.

''You put yourself in this mess,'' Hunk raised his hands before him, as to show he didn't have shit to do with this.

Lance took his arm off of Keith's shoulders, feeling his blush intensifying.

'' _Chico lindo..._  it means that... that...'' he cleared his throat, knowing Keith was getting impatient just by the way the smaller boy frowned. ''Well, it means cute boy. T-that's it.''

Keith's whole face lost all its color before turning the brighter red Hunk has ever seen.

''It's,'' Keith blurted out, voice higher than usual. ''You're joking. You're messing with me.''

He turned his face to look at Pidge.

''Check the translation.''

Pidge sighed before obliging, going on Google Translate and typing  _chico lindo_  in the bar.

''Cute boy,'' they stated.

Keith grabbed the phone from their hand, checking the translation for himself.

''You're fucking kidding me,'' he scowled, standing up. ''You think it's funny? How do you know? How did you fucking know back then?''

He was shouting angrily at Lance, whose face turned pale at his anger.

''K-know what? That you're cute?'' Lance laughed nervously.

''Fuck you!'' Keith spat, making everyone at the table jump. ''You're a fucking asshole, Lance McClain.''

Lance's eyes turned wide and tearful, ''K-Keith.''

Keith left the table quickly, storming in direction of the front doors.

''Keith, w-wait,'' Lance exclaimed, tripping on his chair as he tried to follow his friend.

Keith just walked faster, and Lance knew he would make a fool of himself by making a scene in the food court so he waited until Keith was outside to join him.

''Please, listen to me,'' he wiped his eye with the palm of his hand.

''Why would I?'' Keith shouted back at him, turning on his heels sharply to face him. 

''Why are you even mad?'' Lance yelled back. ''I-I just told you that I called you cute boy! Multiple times! So why am I the asshole when you're the one yelling at me?''

''As if you actually meant it,'' Keith retorted.

''What the fuck is wrong with you?'' Lance groaned. ''Why would I say that if I don't mean it?''

Keith opened his mouth to answer that, but nothing came out.

''I,'' he stuttered out. ''Why would you say it in Spanish if you actually meant it?''

''Well, now that I know how you react to it, I regret ever saying it to you,'' Lance's voice shook weakly. ''Listen, I'm sorry, okay? For everything. I don't want to ruin our relationship but that's all I ever seem to do these days,'' he wiped a tear that fell down his cheek. ''I don't want to lose you, you're one of the few people out there that actually care about me.''

Keith's anger disappeared in a trice. His skin was still burning, but an uncomfortable weigh was pressing on his heart. 

''Lance...'' 

Lance laughed without humor, as if he was trying to cheer himself up.

''I-I do think you're cute, Keith,'' he sniffed. ''And I know you didn't sign up for all this shit when you first talked to me, so I would totally understand if you'd... want to stay away, for a while, or leave, or anything. It already happened to me before, so you don't have to worry about me.''

Keith remembered swearing to his friends that if someone ever hurt Lance, he would beat the shit out of them. How ironic.

''Lance... I don't want to leave you, or stay away from you,'' Keith said softly, voice wobbling a little.

From an external point of view, they surely looked pathetic. Lance was on the verge of crying his heart out, face red and eyes slightly puffy.

"I-I'm sorry I got mad at you," Keith continued, trying not to fall apart like Lance was about to do. "I... I don't know why I did that," that was a blatant lie, but Keith couldn't just go and tell Lance that he was falling in love with him. "You mean a lot to me, too. I don't know what I'd be without you."

Lance hiccupped, sniffing as he was attempting to stop the tears from flooding down his face. Keith was shocked because he never imagined Lance could be this terrified of losing him.

"I-I'm sorry I know it's s-stupid," Lance wiped his eyes, chuckling sadly. "You're probably weirded out r-right now."

Keith reached to pull Lance's hands off his face, putting his own hands on the red cheeks. He caressed his cheekbones in a soothing motion with his thumbs, feeling the slight scratchiness of Lance's stubble under his palms. Lance's breathing evened out slowly, a few tears still falling down his cheeks. Keith made sure to wipe them as they fell, waiting for Lance to be in a better mental state to do anything else.

Lance opened his eyes after having them closed for long minutes, staring straight into Keith's eyes.

"Hey," Keith whispered.

"Hey," Lance laughed weakly, sniffing discretely.

"What... what mascara do you use? That shit's everything-proof."

Lance laughed wholeheartedly at that, wiping under his eyes with his fingers to erase every last trace of tears. Keith wrapped his arms around Lance's chest tightly, nesting his head under Lance's. The tanned boy hugged him back tighter, knotting his fingers in Keith's hair.

Keith listened to Lance's heartbeat, closing his eyes.

"I'm so pathetic," Lance chuckled.

"No you're not," Keith mumbled against his chest, hugging him even tighter.

"What am I, then?"

Keith lifted his head to look at Lance's face.

"Well, right now you're red and puffy," he teased.

"Oh why thank you, Keith," Lance rolled his eyes, pushing Keith's face away from his.

Keith giggled, earning a playful smirk from Lance.

"I'll go to the bathroom, put water on my face and freshen up a little," Lance told him, replacing his hair self-consciously.

Keith nodded his head, staying in Lance's arms.

"We have to join the others, Keith," Lance was smiling, Keith could hear it in his voice.

"Alright," Keith stood on his tiptoes, kissing Lance's cheek softly. "I'm gonna tell them we didn't cut each other's head off."

"You do that," Lance winked.

Keith was glad to see that Lance didn't have that sad, heartbroken look on his face anymore.

They both headed back to the food court, Lance leaving him to go to the bathroom.

"On a scale of 1 to 10, how bad did you fuck up this time?" Pidge asked Keith as soon as he arrived at the table.

"I didn't fuck anything up, it was a misunderstanding," he retorted, sitting back on his chair.

"Was it? Seemed pretty clear to me," Hunk replied.

His tone was slightly harsh, because whoever made Lance cry would have to face a very very angry Hunk.

Keith glared at him, both guys exchanging very not peaceful looks in silence.

"I apologized, alright?" he hissed. "Everything's fine. At least, I think it is."

Hunk raised one eyebrow doubtfully.

"Where is he?" he asked.

"At the bathroom, he needed to freshen up," Keith crossed his arms on his chest, offended.

"Why the fuck did you react that way, though?"

This time, it was Pidge talking.

"I would've thought you'd be happy he thinks you're cute," they continued.

"Yeah, you took it like an insult," Hunk agreed.

Keith shrugged his shoulders, pouting.

"Oh well," Pidge sighed. "One day he'll be tired of your bullshit, Keith."

Keith shot a glare at them.

"I don't think so," Hunk shook his head. "He gets attached pretty easily and is never the one leaving someone."

That reassured Keith in a guilty way.

"Hey guys," Lance greeted his friends, sitting back to his place.

He noticed the tension between Hunk and Keith, as well as Pidge's visible exhaustion. He felt bad because it was his fault if everything went wrong.

"So," he cleared his throat awkwardly. "Are we going to eat or what?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's for chapter 11... a little bit of angst?? But it's all okay in the end? Hope you didn't mind lol
> 
> I know you're probably wondering when tf Keef n Lonce will get together.... You'll see! It's very slow burn, lmao, don't hate me for that
> 
> \--
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, leaving kudos or commenting, I love you all! <3


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